Forever Tied to you

23

Sophie

Waking up in Masons arms was almost like a dream, one where we were two people madly in love, waking up to celebrate our love for each other. For a very brief moment I let myself bask in the feeling, feel wanted and loved. That's all it was though, a brief moment.

This wasn't real.

Mason had been amazing last night and the appreciation I felt for his comfort wasn't something I would ever be able to express with words. Still, what happened to me didn't need to be replayed ever again and talking about it had never helped me before.

My parents had laughed the whole thing off as just a rough first college experience, and if they didn't believe me then why would anyone else?

"Morning?" Masons voice startled me as I absentmindedly ran my fingers across his chest.

"Sorry," I jumped up, "I'm sorry, I .. "

"Soph, calm down." He looked worried as he pulled me back down. "You're fine and it felt good."

He was being weird. In fact it had been like this since our wedding night. It must just be his way of making me more comfortable, I mean it had to be.

He grabbed my hand and placed it back on his chest, wrapping his own fingers around mine as his other hand ran effortlessly through my tangled hair.

"Mason last night..." I began

"Don't worry about it, I'm here if you want to talk, or if you don't we can just not talk about it. We don't have anything to do this morning, but I do have something planned for later." He spoke soothingly.

I propped myself up on my free arm and looked down at him. I don't know why he was being so understanding, kind even, it was so different to the man that demanded I marry him to save my parents.

The look in his eyes told me that he wasn't going to push me into telling him into anything, and that's when the spark of something mischievous, something more flashed across his face.

"What do you want to do today?" He asked.

"I don't know? I've never been somewhere like this before." I admitted.

"Really? Well we could start the day with an island breakfast?" He offered as his free hand cupped the side of my face, "If that's something you want to try?" He added.

"I'm not really hungry yet." I smiled as he let go of my other hand.

"Well, We could spend the morning in bed." He dropped his voice low as he stroked my cheek.

He grabbed my waist and I could feel the bubbling in my stomach, the flutter in my chest. Our faces were so close that I could feel his warm breath on my face. His eyes softened and dropped ever so slightly as the air around us became charged in a static explosion of something I couldn't quite place.

I closed my eyes as our noses brushed lightly. I would never admit it, but it was almost as if I needed him, his touch. It was crazy and not sensible, we could never have a normal relationship and that much was clear, he had said so himself- he didn't do relationships.

Maybe, just maybe, we could agree to a friends with benefits thing though? I mean I considered him a friend, or at least something close to it.

"Mas-"

His fingers around my waist gripped me tighter before suddenly he began tickling me and I shrieked and rolled over to escape him.

"Stop..." I laughed "Mason , please." I begged as he rolled on top of me.

His legs were straddled over me, pinning me to the bed as he continued to tickle my waist. I was laughing so hard that my stomach hurt and I could barely catch my breath.

I grabbed his hands which stopped his assault on my torso as he tangled his fingers in mine and stretched my arms above my head. His torso was stretched out above me, his gaze holding me in place as I contemplated what we were doing.

His chest was rising and falling quickly as he inched closer to my face.

"Sophie." He gasped, almost as if it pained him. "I won't be any good for you."

Nope, not this time. I thought. He wasn't going to do this.

"I don't care." I smiled, "I don't need a happily ever after," I leaned my head up to peck his chin. "You promised me a real honeymoon." I reminded him.

He growled, he actually growled before his mouth crashed against mine. His hips were grinding against my leg as his mouth possessed mine in a way that was both terrifying and incredibly sexy at the same time.

I moaned into his mouth as my hands tightened against his own. This whole experience was so primal, so raw and exciting and now that he was kissing all the sense I had tried to build up was replaced with an urgent need for so much more.

"I could kiss you all day." He groaned in between kisses.

"So do it." I goaded him shamelessly.

"Mmm, tempting." He smiled against my lips before pulling away just enough. "But if we are going to make my afternoon plans I'm going to need to feed you and save our energy." He pecked my lips again before he pulled back and the chill his absence left behind  brought me firmly back to reality. "Come on." He pulled my hands until I stood with him.

From then on we didn't talk about what had almost happened, too busy with the array of things Mason had somehow planned for us. Lots of Walking, sightseeing and finally a special candlelit dinner on the beach.

"You didn't have to do this." I grinned as we sat at the table listening to the waves crash on the shore under the white Christmas lights strung from the palm trees.

"No, but you deserve it." He spoke earnestly. "Your my wife and I know the marriage and everything else hasn't been easy on you. I want this week to be something you look back on fondly if that's all you ever keep of me." He sighed almost sounding sad.

The need to comfort him had me reaching my hand, the one that boasted his mothers ring, to set it on top of his. He turned his hand in mine and gave my hand a squeeze.

"I'll admit, I don't know much about you Mason. This whole thing has been weird, but in a way, I don't think I would change it. The parts of you I do know don't seem too bad." I smiled at him.

"Thank you."

The two words, two simple words brought back the smile that lit up his masculine features and had me longing for the future I knew I would never have. The one where we had a chance to turn this into something more.

My heart was in trouble and looking at his face I couldn't bring myself to care.

Not one bit.

Shit.