The Real Mason by Julia Devlin

crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t like you very much.”
    “I’m waiting.” He strummed his fingers resting on the curve of her hip to empathize his point.
    “Fine!” She blew out a breath, sending a curl flying before it flopped down over one eye. “I’m mad. You say you love me but you never told me the truth. Those other women know this intimate part of you that you failed to mention to me.”
    His gaze darkened, sighing, he tucked the lock of hair behind her ear. “And now you feel minimized?”
    Her throat tightening, the sting of a fresh set of tears stung her eyes. Yes, that was exactly it. Not trusting her voice, she nodded.
    “I do love you.”
    Her chin titled in a stubborn line and she squeaked, “Not enough to trust me.”
    Ignoring the rigidity in her body, he squeezed her tight. “I’ve made a real mess of things and as much as I’d like to change the past, I can’t. I can only promise to be honest going forward. And, I promise, you are the most important woman in my life. I have never truly loved another woman before you. It’s hard to understand because a scene can bring up very intense emotions, but I promise you it was only play.”
    “Then why didn’t you trust me?” She had to know. Had to understand or it would niggle at her forever.
    “It wasn’t about trusting you. It was about not wanting to push you away.”
    She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
    “That’s because you’re forgetting a key element.”
    “What’s that?”
    He cupped her jaw in his strong, capable grasp. “Those women knew who and what I was before we even spoke to each other. It doesn’t make them more important than you. It makes them more informed.”
    Her hands curled into fists. “And you think you couldn’t have told me?”
    “What would you have said, Anna, the first night I took you to bed? What would your reaction have been if over dinner I mentioned that I wanted to tie you up, dominate you, make you obey then fuck you until you screamed?” He released her chin, tilting his head to the side to study her closely. “And that only scratches the surface of the dirty, kinky, obscene things I’ve thought about doing to you.”
    Her gaze skirted away. Several long, tense moments slipped by. As much as she wished to pretend otherwise, she knew the truth as well as he did. “It would have frightened me.” She swallowed hard. “It would have made me look at you differently.”
    He stroked her cheek. “And selfishly, I didn’t want to put that look in your eyes.”
    The admission made her love him even more, it was sweet and protective, exactly like the Mason she’d known all these months. But it didn’t change the facts—he should have told her. She said quietly, “You should have given me the choice.”
    “You’re right,” he said, simply. “I made a mistake. I kept looking for ways to tell you but I never found the right words. Before you, it had never been an issue. I was stupid.”
    Curious, she asked, “Well, why didn’t you just do what someone did to you?”
    He laughed and hugged her. “I was a horny eighteen-year-old kid, I’d have done anything to get laid.”
    Tension easing between them, she relaxed into his warm chest, adoring the feel of his hard muscles against her body. “What happened?”
    “’Rissa was older. Hell, she was probably only twenty-six at the time but she seemed otherworldly.” He smiled against her temple. “She was a mistress and breaking in eager young boys was her thing. She took a liking to me.”
    Shock rolled through her and she straightened. “You mean…”
    Amusement danced in his brown eyes. “Yes, I was introduced into the lifestyle as a sub.”
    He was so strong and powerful. So utterly commanding, it was impossible for her to envision it. She could only gawk at him and utter, “But, how?”
    “She said she’d fuck me like I’d never even dreamed and as a price I’d have to do everything she said.” He laughed,