"Why don"t you put some clothes on?"

"I can"t bend over to put them on. My ribs hurt too much." Mason shrugged and sat up straighter on the sofa. Zoe nodded before kneeling in front of him, the boxers in her hand.

"What are you doing?"

"If you can"t get them on yourself then I"ll have to help you. I can"t have you strutting around my home in just a flimsy towel."

"I"m hardly strutting. I can barely walk."

"Mason, just let me put some clothes on you." Zoe didn"t wait for him to cooperate and instead grabbed his right leg and forced it through the boxers. Even if she could get him to wear boxers then at least she wouldn"t be tempted to peek under the towel when he was sleeping.

She got both legs in and had to get Mason to stand up so she could pull them up. He grumbled and groaned but stood up and allowed her to pull his boxers up and over his backside. Her fingers grazed the sides of hips and she heard Mason curse.

"Can you put jogging bottoms on?" Zoe cleared her throat and looked up at the man standing before her. She realised they were in a compromising position and Mason obviously did too when she saw the towel start to poke outwards.

"These are a bit snug. I"m sure the bottoms will be worse." Mason sat back down and traded the towel for a blanket. Zoe got off her knees and smiled at him. At least Mason saw something he liked. Or maybe he liked that someone was on his knees in front of him.

"Can you climb the stairs because I have a spare bedroom you could use if you wanted?"

"I"m afraid I"m unable to climb the stairs."

"Okay, if you move over to the arm chair I have some sheets and pillows that I can throw on the sofa. Sleep is your friend at the moment, Mason." With that Zoe headed up the stairs and into the cupboard where she kept all the fresh bedding. Unfortunately for Mason the only covers she had available had princesses on them.

When she returned downstairs Mason wasn"t in the living room or kitchen. She frowned but her worried disappeared as soon as she heard the toilet flush. Mason hadn"t left and was just using the bathroom. She didn"t want him leaving when he was so fragile.

She shook away her worry and turned the sofa into a makeshift bed. Mason was standing by the door, his hand across his ribs and breathing heavily. She helped him to lie on the sofa and covered him with the covers.

"I"m sorry; these are the only available clean sheets. Rebecca loves princesses."

"It"s fine. They feel great." Mason"s eyes had already started to droop and within moments he was snoring. Obviously the man needed to sleep and she was going to let him sleep and stay here for as long as it took for him to recover.

Mason had been in her home for nearly three days and he was able to walk without getting out of breath now. Her daughters were due to come home today and she wasn"t sure what her mother or her daughters would think of the mostly naked man on her sofa.

She was cleaning up in the kitchen when something came flying through her kitchen window. She couldn"t hold back the scream that came out of her mouth as gla.s.s sprayed the kitchen. Mason was in the kitchen in a matter of moments, a stern expression on his handsome face.

"What the h.e.l.l?" she yelled when she saw the brick on her counter.

"They"ve found me. I"ve got to go."

"Mason, what is going on?" Zoe grabbed Mason"s wrist and tugged when he tried to leave the kitchen. He turned and glared at her.

"The people who are after me have found me. I"ve got to go. I can"t have them hurting you or your daughters."

"You can"t leave. You"re still injured. I"ll just call the police."

"No! Do not call the police. Listen to me, Zoe. These aren"t the kind of people who take too kindly to people ratting them out."

"You need to tell me what is going on here. You can"t leave but I cannot have my daughters living somewhere dangerous."

"Zoe-"

"Mason, tell me now or I will phone the police."

"Sit down." Mason gestured to the dining table and she took a seat across from him and crossed her arms, waiting for him to tell her what had happened.

"Do you know who the Black Rose is?"

"No, should I?"

"It"s a good thing you don"t know. It"s a biker club that runs downtown. They"re the people who are after me."

"Why are they after you?"

"I was in the club and a deal went wrong."

"So you were in this biker club? Then a deal went wrong and they want to beat you up now?" Zoe done that head tilting thing again and Mason smiled slightly.

"No, they don"t want to beat me up again. They want me dead, Zoe."

"What could have gone so wrong that they would want you dead?"

"We were doing a deal downtown and things were getting shady. I"d been in the Black Rose since I was sixteen and to be honest I couldn"t deal with it anymore. They don"t like people leaving without a good reason and they hate traitors.

"The only way I could think of getting out of the Black Rose was to get the leader arrested. I called the police when I knew the deal was taking place but someone overheard me and I had to run with them or end up dying in the street.

"I got beaten up and I ran. That"s when you found me. My biggest regret is ever joining the Black Rose in the first place."

"So, you joined this club when you were sixteen and now want out but you can"t leave the club without a good reason?"

"That"s pretty much it."

"Then you became a traitor to them and now they want you dead?"

"Yes, I can"t stay here any longer. I need you to promise me that you"re going to be safe." Mason reached out and took Zoe"s hands between his and looked in her eyes. Zoe could see the pain swimming in Mason"s green eyes but couldn"t bring herself to make him that promise.

"You can"t leave until I know you"re safe."

"Zoe, these aren"t playground games. These people are dangerous!" Mason stood up angrily and winced slightly. The pain wasn"t as bad in his ribs now but it still did hurt a lot. Zoe stood and rounded the table to stand in front of him. She hesitantly reached out and put her hand on his chest before looking up at him.

"I know they"re dangerous but I can"t let you go out there knowing that I could have stopped you. Just wait until you"re better before leaving. Please?" Zoe put her hand over Mason"s chest and felt the strong beat beneath her fingertips.

Mason wrapped his hand around hers and shook his head. Zoe opened her mouth to speak again but was surprised when Mason bent down and sealed his lips over hers. Zoe wasn"t sure what to do. She hadn"t been kissed in over three years, she wasn"t sure she was any good anymore.

"I"m sorry." Mason said as he pulled away from her. Obviously Zoe hadn"t been quick enough in responding and Mason had taken it as the hint that she didn"t want to kiss him.

"No, I liked it. I just haven"t been kissed since John."

"Is John your ex-husband?"

"John was my ex-husband. He died in Afghanistan three years ago. "Zoe moved her hand across Mason"s chest before looking back up at him.

"You"ve not been kissed in three years?"

"I haven"t been kissed in nearly four. John was out for nearly a year before he died."

"It"s all right." Mason tugged her into his arms and Zoe wrapped her arms around the larger man. It was nice to be held in a man"s arms again. It had been so long she"d forgotten how much she loved being in a man"s arms.

"I just can"t have you and your daughters in danger. You"ve done so much for me in the last three days than my family have done in the last six years." Mason kissed the top of her head and Zoe nuzzled her face in Mason"s chest.

"I can"t have you leaving if you"re still in pain. Just wait a few more days, please, Mason?"

"I"ll wait three more days, but then I need to leave."

"My daughters are coming home tonight. I hope you are okay with children."

"I used to watch my baby brother all the time. I"m good with children." Mason ran his hand down Zoe"s back and smiled when she shivered against him.

"Baby brother?"

"I was kicked out when I was sixteen which is why I joined the Black Rose. I had a drug problem and haven"t spoken to my family since."

"Oh, I"m sorry. What drug problem?"

"It"s not your fault. I was addicted to cocaine. I"m clean now though. The Black Rose forced me to get clean." Mason bent down again and landed a kiss on her cheek. Zoe tilted her head slightly and transferred Mason"s lips from her cheek to her lips. She felt Mason smile against her own lips as he kissed her.

Mason grasped Zoe"s face in his large hands and pulled her close to him before pushing his lips against hers forcefully.

Zoe gasped and Mason took that as invitation to shove him tongue inside. His hands left her face to pull her closer by the waist. Zoe hesitantly kissed him back, her body popping out in goose b.u.mps at the way Mason was taking charge.

"f.u.c.k." Mason muttered against Zoe"s lips before he swiped his tongue inside again. Zoe whimpered quietly and he chuckled before pushing Mason rubbed his groin against her stomach.

"Oh G.o.d." Zoe"s heart pounded in her chest and b.u.t.terflies swarmed her stomach. Mason gently pulled away and Zoe licked her lips, tasting the remainder of toothpaste. She hadn"t even realized that he had brushed his teeth.

"I want to take you to bed, if you"re okay with that..."

"I"m more than okay with that."

"Where is your bedroom?" Mason kissed the side of Zoe"s neck and she shuddered gently.

"I"ll show you." She took Mason by the hand and led him upstairs to the bedroom. He had to hold his ribs at some point but he managed to climb the stairs and stand by the door.

"I just need to take a quick shower. I"ve been in the garden and I"m dirty."

"Take all the time you need." Mason dropped his boxers before sitting on the edge of the bed.

He stood and Zoe was tempted to take a hold of him. He"d grown hard in a matter of moments. He was an impressive size and it made Zoe"s stomach clench in excitement. She smiled and headed into the bathroom.

She stepped into the shower with a frown. It seemed ridiculous showering before s.e.x but Zoe didn"t want to be dirty for him. Once she washed her hair and body she then shaved her legs, underarms and down there.

She stepped from the steaming shower and swiped a hand over the mirror to rid it of the condensation that had built up. She plugged the hairdryer in and quickly dried her long black hair.

Zoe donned the robe that was on the back of the door and took a deep breath. She"d left her hair down in hopes that Mason would grab it sometime.

As Zoe entered the bedroom she gasped. Mason had taken the time whilst she was showering and getting ready to make the bedroom look amazing. Almost two dozen candles were lit and a soft scent of vanilla wafted through the air.

"Where did you find all the candles?"

"They were in the cupboard in the hallway. I hope you don"t mind."

"It"s lovely." Zoe smiled and Mason headed towards her, his arms wrapping around her waist.

Zoe reached up and pulled him down to kiss her. His face was bristly since he hadn"t shaved recently and she liked the scratch of it against her face. As they kissed he reached up and pushed the robe from her shoulders.

Zoe had redressed in her underwear and Mason stepped away slightly to look down at her. It made Zoe blush as he stared at every part of her body. His eyes widened and then drooped in desire as the sight of the tattoo on her hip. It was a small b.u.t.terfly that she"d gotten when she was nineteen. He wrapped his arm around her waist again and pulled her viciously to him. His c.o.c.k was pushed between the apex of her thighs. She felt him throb against her.

"You"re so beautiful."

She blushed and Mason gently tugged her to the bed. They both crawled on the bed and stood facing each other on their knees.

"What do you want to do first, darling?" Mason ran his hand down her side and Zoe couldn"t help but reach out and touch Mason"s broad shoulders.

"I want you to run the show. I don"t want to have to make any decisions. I need to not make decisions." Zoe finally spoke of her desire. When she was with John she wasn"t able to tell him what she truly wanted.

"How about we take these off then?" Mason whispered against Zoe"s throat as he tugged at her bra and then the back of her lace knickers. He slipped the bra straps down Zoe"s shoulders, his mouth following his hands, and unclasped the front clasp so her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were on show.

He cupped them in his hands and gently rubbed his nose against them. Zoe reached down and ran her fingers through his blond hair and he groaned against her. Zoe yelped in surprise as Mason bent down and sucked one erect nipple in his mouth.

"I"m going to taste you." Mason husked as he released her nipple and pushed her back to lie on the bed.

Zoe didn"t say anything as he slipped her underwear down and gently pushed her thighs apart. Zoe blushed but didn"t try and close her legs. She wanted Mason with everything she had in her.

She moaned quietly as Mason pushed his mouth up and stroked the flat of his tongue against her c.l.i.t. He got straight in with it, he didn"t bother teasing her.

"Zoe." Mason husked before bending his head down and blowing gently on her down there. She forced herself to keep her eyes open as his wicked grin appeared. He blew on her gently again before his tongue snaked out and stroked over her.

"Oh..." Zoe gasped and thrust her hips slightly.

"You like that." He stated before doing it again. This time he didn"t look at her, he already knew how much she seemed to love it. Zoe reached shaking hands down to thread through Mason"s hair and he hummed his approval.

She moaned quietly as he pushed his mouth up and stroked the flat of his tongue against her c.l.i.t. He murmured against her and Zoe clenched deep inside. He removed one of his hands from her thigh and trailed it up and over her stomach before letting it slowly move to where his tongue was playing.

Zoe moaned louder this time as he pushed his tongue inside. She never liked doing this with John, he never seemed to be able to get it right, but with Mason everything in her body was on fire. Mason pushed his finger inside her without warning. It stung slightly since the Zoe hadn"t slept with anyone in a long time. He sawed his finger in and out slowly before sucking her c.l.i.t in his mouth. Out of reflex her hands clenched in his hair and he growled against her.

"You"re so wet." Mason crooned and added another finger slowly. He made a scissoring motion with his fingers to stretch her wider and Zoe clenched around him.

"Oh G.o.d..." Zoe whimpered. He let her adjust before sucking her c.l.i.t into his mouth again. This time he sc.r.a.ped his teeth across the sensitive nub and she felt a tingling in her stomach.