Shadows in the Dark

Chapter 15

The truth was the Pendleton's marriage was anything but traditional. When Mason had asked if she thought Jeremy was faithful, she could have lied. She always lied, but with Mason, she didn't want to. She and Jeremy had never shared true love and passion. They loved each other, but theirs was never a marriage of love. They were two friends who agreed to marry for their own reasons.

Melissa had been dumped on her wedding day when her fiancé ran off with her maid of honor and best friend. She vowed to never give her heart away again, because she couldn't face the pain. Jeremy was the boy next door and although he was three years older, they had always been friends growing up. He saved her during her darkest days.

It was at a time when his career was just starting to take off. He was trying to make a name for himself and thought a beautiful wife would help his image. They loved each other, but they were never in love.

Melissa was fully aware of his infidelity which was part of their unique relationship. The night Jeremy dared Melissa to kiss Mason, he was drunk. He knew she was attracted to the other man, but he had no right to be jealous. She never told him Mason had won hands down.

She had never wanted anything more than the companionship Jeremy offered until Mason. Suddenly he was all she thought about. Still, she feared he had the power to break her heart again. It didn't stop her from waiting for Mason hoping he would come through her back door.

Melissa was tired of just kissing and touching. She had a physical need roaring inside she wanted to tame. When she heard the screen door she felt a pulse of anticipation flow through her.

Mason felt as if he were in heaven. He had Melissa in his arms.  If only he could stay. Wonderfully content, he vowed to wait until she was truly ready. Finding her on the bed with just a crisp white sheet partially covering her body was his sign. The vision of her with her long dark hair fanned around her was a treasured memory, much like the first time he saw each of his children.

Touching her body and being inside of her was paradise. If he had ever felt the same way with Ruby, it had been long forgotten. She turned to her side and curled in to him. The smile on her face told him the enjoyment was mutual. A pulse of excitement went through him. He remembered her face as she came undone.

He wanted to see it again but reluctantly, he whispered, "I have to go." She kissed his chest, but he resisted and sat up swinging his legs off the bed. His clothes were in a heap, as he had hastily shed them to join her flesh to flesh.

Once dressed he leaned over and kissed her. "Sweet dreams."

She smiled lazily with her lids heavy. "Only of you."

He resisted the urge to hum or skip like Maribelle on his walk home. He quietly rounded the house to the back patio, when he saw a shadow. Realizing what he was saw was two bodies, he resisted every urge to shout. Instead, Mason backed up and went into the house through the front. He grabbed a beer and peered out the screen door, before abruptly opening it.

The two bodies together on the lounge flew apart, but Mason had seen the golden boy's hand inside his daughter's pants. He was a hypocrite but he didn't want a horny kid on to his fifteen-year-old daughter.

"Get out of here!" He snarled.

He watched as Dougie Alfano ran away as fast as he could. Lucy stood with an angry glare.

Before he could speak, she said, "Don't have a cow. We were just fooling around."

"Fooling around is going to get you pregnant! Really Lucinda? The Alfano boy!" He thought she liked the Harris kid.

"I love Dougie."

Love! She was too young to understand love. It was complicated for adults. "Lucy, we're going to sit down tomorrow and talk."

"Am I in trouble?"

"I haven't decided yet. Now go to bed!"

Shit, he wasn't ready for this. How could he teach his daughter, she had more worth than her beauty when she had Ruby as a role model?