Mikala's Passion (Pulse Series Book 2) (15 page)

“Perverted bastard,” he said, aloud.

As the words left his lips, the man came back into view again, rifled through the mail, but added an envelope from his pocket before darting out the door. He had delivered his own mail. That was one of the threatening letters, he’d bet on it.

Pointing the remote at the TV, Mason stilled the image of the hooded man on the screen and studied it closely, as he invaded Mikala’s privacy rifling through her private things. To top it all off, he was there when she was none the wiser. The idea was terrifying.

A sparkle of light caught Mason’s eye. The shot wasn’t clear but he was sure it was a Hublot Big Bang watch, and he estimated it to be close to twenty thousand dollars. This asshole either had big bucks, or he was a thief.

Mason’s thoughts revolved in his head. If the intruder’s intention was to kill her, he would have done it long ago he wouldn’t be working so hard to shut her down. He was clearly trying to put her out of business, not into a grave. And he wasn’t interested in anything sexual, since he had plenty of opportunity to rape her and didn’t. Convinced he must be looking for something, Mason wondered what? What didn’t burn up in the fire was worth nothing. She didn’t own expensive jewelry or anything of value for that matter, which made him draw the conclusion that what he wanted wasn’t material at all. Crazy as the idea was, Mason was convinced that this was revenge, this thing was either retaliation or payback of some kind.

Deciding he had far too much to think about as it was, he tucked the discs away in his desk drawer and cleaned up their mess. He quickly showered and organized the mess she had left on the bathroom counter, placing her things neatly to one side and shaking his head, thinking how nice it was to pick up after her again.

When he opened the bathroom door, Mikala was standing in the doorway to his room.

“You need something?” he asked, but when she didn’t move. He dropped his head down to meet her eyes. “Is something wrong?”

“Can I lay with you for a while?” she asked.

Mason’s brow furrowed as he lifted her chin with his finger, “You frightened, sugar?”

“No,” she huffed out a puff of air and tittered, not at all convincingly. She could see by the smile forming at the corners of his mouth that Mason was not believing a word of it.

“Meet you there in five.” Mason said, heading to the kitchen for a bottle of water.

Mason lay staring at the steel beams in the ceiling, enjoying the way Mikala’s body was beautifully wrapped around his. She was warm and smelled of lime and pears and the heat from her breath each time she exhaled across his chest was doing all kinds of good things for his libido.

She had fallen asleep shortly after he came to bed and Mason decided not to disturb her by carrying her up to the hideaway. He was glad he did since her sleep was restless and caused her to cling to him incessantly.

He turned to see the time, reaching for the remote on his nightstand and hitting the button to open the blinds. The room slowly lit from nearly complete darkness to a sunshine streaked brightness, as the blinds opened without a sound folding into a valance and disappearing from sight.

As the room lit, Mikala leisurely stirred. Her eyes opened and were met by a sparkling blue gaze. Mason smiled and Mikala stretched her arms over her head caressing her hand over his cheek when she brought them down again. Mason rolled her onto her back and half covered her body with his. Picturing his lips closing over hers, he slid his hand under her t-shirt and gently kneaded her breast, when she grinned that was all the encouragement he needed to continue his unhurried quest.

His hand glided over the graceful curve of her hip dipping into her panties. Mikala was wet and ready and he beamed into her face pulling at her panties and she lifted her hips to assist in their removal.

Boldly he moved his body on top of hers resting his weight on his elbows, not wanting to cause Mikala any discomfort, although she loved the feel of his full weight pushing her into the mattress. She reached between them stroking his cock until it was rock hard like granite and he moaned his enjoyment. Aiming his cock where she wanted it, she angled her hips so the tip sat at her opening then latched her hands on his ass cheeks shoving up to him. Mason smiled sliding into her with a loud respired moan. She was warm and slick and he was suddenly lost in her spell of lust, rocking with a rhythm to match the beat of their hearts.

Absorbed by the sexy sounds Mikala was making and the sweet friction of her tight sex wrapped around his cock like a silky glove, he groaned and grunted with each pump of his hips. Not wanting to say a word for fear of ruining the moment, he lost himself inside his head with all the things he wanted so badly to say.

Sadly this was just sex for her, but it was so much more for him. This was the connection that he had been searching for, the connection he had lost all those months ago and desired more than breathing air into his lungs each day. Mikala was the one and only part of him that he had lost and needed back desperately, and if he could stop fucking up long enough to convince her he was what she needed, their lives could be complete.

Mikala’s cries as her orgasm drew her over the edge and her muscles tightened and pulsed around his cock, woke him from his thoughts. With only a few more strokes into her sweet wetness, he reached his max, pulled free and stroked his hand over his cock spilling his seed over her stomach and breasts.

Mikala stared at the glistening streak of semen puddled on her stomach and Mason shrugged when their eyes met. “No condom, sorry,” he apologized, watching as she stirred her finger in the warm creamy liquid and smiled. He was taken aback by her reaction but chose to say nothing. Slipping his boxers back over his hips, he jumped from the bed to get a wet facecloth and cleaned her up. Helping her to her feet, he watched her t-shirt drop over her beautiful curves, disguising the body he craved to spend the rest of the day worshipping, and let out a heavy sigh. She giggled slapping her hand to his shoulder playfully. “Breakfast, Champ?” she teased.

“Sure.” he said.

“You go ahead and shower. What do you want to eat?”

“Surprise me.”

Mason stood under the spray of the shower with a smile spread across his face, replaying the waking events in his mind. It felt good to wake up beside Mikala. He wasn’t about to get too used to it though, he knew that things could and probably would sour, just as quickly.

***

Mikala’s eyes trailed Mason’s form as he set up his laptop in the corner of the dance club, away from the construction. She watched as he thumbed through some notes, scribbled something and then arranged the security discs into assorted piles.

Mason was hiding something, she wasn’t sure what, but he was most definitely hiding something. His entire demeanor had changed overnight. Mason’s demanding tone at breakfast as he warned her to consider him a permanent fixture, that she had better give up the fight now before it started, because this was one battle she wasn’t going to win by a long shot, made her laugh. And now as she watched him hard at work, she felt a tug of contentment in her heart. She wasn’t about to declare it, but she was happy to be kept by him again. It felt right and familiar and his need to protect her put her at ease. Always a commanding and imposing force, he had directed her to his will with a touch to her arm or a sweep of his thumb across her cheek. She thrilled at the idea of his potency.

Mason looked up and winked once he noticed her stare, her heart skipped a beat the minute she realized she was falling for him all over again. Mikala wasn’t sure if she should let her guard down and enjoy the moment, or add another layer of bricks and mortar to her carefully erected wall.

Mikala quickly left the room and Mason’s gaze followed her until she was out of sight. Wondering what she had been thinking, which usually ended with dangerous results, he brushed the thought off to the side and went back to viewing the discs.

He had discovered, after searching through more discs, that there were more cameras in the apartment than he had anticipated and that the creeper was far more dangerous than he had discovered the night before. Disturbing images of the man standing at her bedside while she slept had Mason wishing to meet up with him in a dark alley and beat the lord living snot out of him. He was shaking with anger and took several deep breaths to settle his thoughts.

Glad to see Chase walking his way, he cricked his neck from side to side and rubbed his eyes. After viewing so much footage, he was seeing double.

“What brings you here this morning?” Mason asked.

“I have samples for Mik to look at and a surprise upstairs, I figured it would take her mind off the creep for a while.” Chase said, sitting.

“Mik’s in the kitchen I think…speaking of the creep…take a look at this footage I put together.” Mason turned the laptop so that they could both view the screen, and then played a collage of Mikala in multiple stages throughout the night, on different nights and in different areas of the dance and private clubs.

“See this guy here?” Mason pointed to a dark figure standing by Mikala, “He’s tucked back behind her shoulder just far enough to be discretely concealed in the crowd, but at a distance he could hear her conversations and be part of everything she did.”

“Got a better shot of his mug?” Chase asked.

“No, it’s almost as if he knows the cameras are on him, he positions himself perfectly so you know it’s him but can’t identify him.” Mason pointed out. “What do think, five six? Maybe a hundred and eighty pounds, fucking black and white, can’t tell if he’s got brown, black or red hair.”

“Smart dresser, same suit most of the time,” Chase remarked. “He seems to really go for the whole dark knight thing, lurking in the shadows.”

“Another thing I spotted,” Mason said, “he doesn’t drink. Not once does he order anything from the bar, even when Mik’s serving. Not so much as a glass of water.”

“I don’t get the significance. Should that mean something?”

“It could, it could also mean he’s a cheap fuck. He’s willing to pay the cover at the door but won’t pay for drinks. Dresses to the nines and wears an expensive ass watch. It’s strange that’s all.”

“Has Mik seen this?” Chase asked, watching as the kitchen door opened, “because she’s about to, here she comes.”

Mikala placed a coffee in front of each of them with a smile as she peeked at the computers screen. “You boys are busy I’ll leave you to it.”

She turned away as Mason grabbed hold of her wrist. “I need you to tell me if you recognize this guy.”

She leaned in for a closer look. “Nope, should I?”

“Not necessarily, he’s just a person of interest. You go ahead and do what you have to,” Mason said, with a smile watching as she disappeared behind the bar.

“Chase, he’s been in her apartment, going through her stuff and leaving her letters on the counter.” Mason recalled, fast forwarding to the pre-fire scene. “Watch this.”

They watched as the creeper came into the apartment, placed a vase with a sunflower in it onto the counter, and then disappeared from view, only to return a few moments later with something tucked under his sweatshirt, leaving.

“He clearly took something. Forty minutes later, the fires out of control,” Mason announced.

“Wait a minute,” Chase put his hand out and leaned closer to the screen. “The asshole was in her apartment?”

“Not only was he in it, he was there when she was. Each night for two weeks before the fire started, he gave her a visit. Don’t say a fucking word to her about this, not one word.” Mason warned. “She’d be horrified knowing this asshole was watching her most private moments.”

“How is it possible, when?” Chase asked.

Stilling the image onto the screen Mason sat back, downing the remains of his coffee. “The creep got hold of a key.”

“This entire thing is sick as fuck!” Chase said, a tinge of anger seeping from his pores.

“I think it’s time she came and stayed at the penthouse with Eden and me.”

Mason looked over at Mikala busy packing glasses into plastic crates, a sinking feeling grabbed Mason’s chest. The idea of her leaving him again when things were beginning to look up, gave him a nauseating feeling in the pit of his stomach. He watched as Chase walked over to her and made his offer.

Mikala was quick to give her answer, wrapping her arms around Chase’s waist. “I love you for the offer but I’m staying put.” Mason heard Mikala say. “I made a promise to Mason and I intend to stick with it. Mason’s not going to let anything happen to me. Considering he’s on me like a shadow, I’d have to say I couldn’t be safer.”

Chase was quick to surrender, confident that Mason was the best man for the job. He handed Mikala an assortment of swatches from the table and directed her to the stairs, away from any further talk of the intruder, and with the promise of a big surprise. When he looked over at Mason before ascending the staircase, they shared an unspoken agreement to revisit the conversation later when they were alone.

***

Mason walked into what was soon to be Mikala’s new bathroom and laughed when he found Mikala reclining with her eyes closed in the claw tub, protectively packaged in bubble wrap in the center of the room. Her eyes opened and she grinned when she saw him watching her from the frame of the not yet finished doorway. He sat on the tubs edge, the plastic crackling under the weight of him and they laughed.