Nativity: Festive Novella (Heart of Stone #11) (3 page)

“I want your cum on my face, baby.”

He hissed, his throat bobbing as he
struggled to catch his breath. “Do you even know how damn beautiful you are
when you look at me like that?”

I smiled. He always had the ability to make
my heart swell, even at the most random moment. “Then make me stunning. Come on
me, cover me with you.”

His teeth clashed together, a primal
growl tearing from him as ribbons and ribbons of warm cum streamed across the
space between us, the torrent spraying my face and my chest as his eyes stayed
transfixed on mine. He leaned forward and dragged his tongue across my cheek,
collecting his own orgasm.

“Oh my God!” I groaned. The action was
so hot I slid my hand between my legs and came as soon as I touched my swollen
clit. Thrusting his tongue in my mouth as I continued to climax, I took his
offering and lapped at his taste, his sperm salty and sweet when he transferred
it into my own mouth.

“Jesus Christ,” he panted as he rested
his forehead against mine. “You do know, the older we get, the better it seems
to get.”

I nodded, sliding my thumb across his
lips, sighing at how soft and warm they were. “I reckon, when we’re just bones,
we’ll be humping away in our grave, so make sure the kids put you with me.”

He laughed and nodded, sliding his hands
under me to lift me out of the bath. “And making love to you will never get old
or boring, you’re too fucking incredible. Come on, I’m hungry.”

“You know, you’re only romantic when
you’re hungry,” I grumbled as he draped a towel around me.

“Of course I am,” he smirked as he threw
me onto the bed. “I know how to work you by now, Ava.”

I glared at him but couldn’t help
laughing. “You always make me feel special, Mason.”

He paused and stared at me, his eyes
intent and soft as they slowly roamed my face then came back to my eyes.
Reaching down, he gently brushed his mouth across my cheek and nuzzled my ear,
“You’re not just special, Ava. You’re my life, my soul. My heart beats in sync
with yours, my blood rushes through my veins to keep me alive for you. Every
morning when I wake and see you beside me I have to take a breath and ground
myself because I still can’t believe after all these years how I ever got so
damn lucky. After everything I did to you, you still love me, you still give me
all your heart and allow me to care for it, nurture it. You will never
understand how special that makes me feel.”

My eyes watered and I swallowed back the
need to cry. “Hey,” I whispered as I ran my thumb over his cheek. “Everything
you did to me? After I slept with Kade, I thought I’d ruined everything. I know
I ruined myself, the guilt from what I had done almost crippled me. It still
cripples me. When I found those photos in your drawer of us, I…”

He squashed his finger against my lips,
halting my heartache. “Baby, we’ve both done things that hurt each other. But
look at us.” He smiled widely and shrugged. “We made it to the end. We carried
each other’s hearts in our souls and we crossed the line into a place where we
can now both just live for each other. After having the kids, both of our
infidelities, Rebecca, Dane, Brad stabbing you. And not forgetting you shooting
yourself and the cancer. We fucking made it, baby. That’s not cause for tears,
old or young, that is something to celebrate.”

I smiled widely, completely agreeing
with him. He winked and grabbed my hands, pulling me up to sit on the edge of
the bed before he proceeded to pull on some sweatpants and a t-shirt, forgoing
the bra now I no longer needed one. He ran his finger down the scar on my neck
then bent to kiss it softly. “I love you Mrs Fox, so much.” Then he scooped me
up in his arms and ran out of the bedroom and down the stairs making me squeal
and laugh at his excitement.

He burst into the kitchen, everyone
turning from whatever they were cooking to stare at us. “We’re back,” Mason
divulged. “Sorry, Ava pissed herself and I had to clean her up.”

Everyone gawped at me as Mason chuckled
loudly. “You bastard!”

He clicked his tongue and winked. “You
forgot the glorious, baby.”

“Sometimes I actually wonder why I gave
you the glorious part.”

He laughed, “My cock of course.”

I shrugged and pursed my lips, nodding
in agreement. “Yep, the whole reason I married you.”

“Careful,” he warned with a smirk. “You
don’t know I have the video of you last week on my phone.”

My heart stuttered as I stared at him.
“What…” I spluttered, my cheeks firing as my palms dampened with sweat.

I slapped at him when he flicked the end
of my nose. “Blackmail, baby. How else do I ensure your complete compliance?”

I smirked back. “Oh I can think of a
few… one of them the little secret thing you like me to do to you that you
don’t want anyone to know about.”

The way his mouth fell open and his eyes
narrowed made me sigh contentedly and whistle a little tune as I dipped the
spoon into the chilli Courtney was stirring. “Perfect, Hun.”

She nudged me, winking and smirking.
“Come on then, Ava, Spill. What does Mase like?”

I bit my tongue and danced across the
room, making sure to blow a kiss Mason on the way as he tried to scramble over
to me and slap his hand over my mouth. “Don’t you fucking dare,” he whispered
in my ear.

“Then behave, and delete that video!”

He nodded, thoroughly compliant with me
then, the tables turned dramatically. “I will.”

Ahh, after twenty years of marriage,
Mason still thought he wore the trousers.

Fool.

I blinked, sitting up in bed and rubbing
my eyes. Raised voices. A shout. Something smashing. I frowned at the empty
space beside me in bed, Ava’s pillow still slightly warm and dented where her
head had been.

I tilted my head and squinted. It
sounded like crying. What the hell?

Pulling on my shorts I quietly made my
way down the stairs, leaving the lights off to remain covert. The kitchen door
was slightly open, the light blaring through it and causing a flickering on the
hallway floor as people moved about inside.

“Stop it!” I heard Ava’s hushed demand,
her voice quiet as she spoke to someone.

“I can’t help it,” Katie sobbed, the
sound of pain in her voice making my stomach and heart clench tight. I tensed,
moving further towards the door to try and catch what was going on.

“You need to deal with this shit, now
Katie, or it will haunt you until it ruins your life.”

“It’s already ruining my life, Mum. I
can’t sleep without… without seeing her face. Every time I close my eyes he’s
there…”

“Hey,” Ava whispered. “You are a Fox.
Take the shit, swallow the shit and deal with the shit. I love you, Katie,
whatever you may think you are. You’re tough, you’ve been brought up to be
tough.”

What the hell was going on? I wanted to
walk in the kitchen and demand they tell me but then I didn’t want to impose
when Katie sounded so distraught.

 “But…”

“No,” Ava hissed. “I’m afraid you need
to realize that this bullshit is engrained into you. There’s nothing you can do
to change that.”

There was a silent pause and just as I
was about to push the door open, Katie’s next words stopped me.

“How do you do it, Mum?”

Ava sighed heavily and I heard them
shuffle about, presumably taking a seat at the table. “Because I have no other
choice, baby. It’s kill or be killed in this life.”

“You ever wonder what your life would
have been without my Dad?”

Ava snorted. “Sometimes. But then the
pain in my chest becomes unbearable. You need to understand, Katie, that your
Father has put up with so much from me. Both you and George seem to think that he
is the one at fault for the way my life has gone. But you know what. I wouldn’t
have even got this far without him. He’s not just my rock, Katie, he’s my soul,
my warrior. He would fight for me with his last breath. He would offer up his
soul to make sure I kept mine. And yes, he’s had his moments.”

Katie snorted this time. “Moments? I’d
say he’s had a few.” She didn’t say it with revulsion, just stating the truth.

“And I’ve had more than a few.” Ava admitted
openly, “But anyway, what I’m saying is, this is our life. You either take hold
of it and learn to love it or allow it to drown you. You have no idea what I
have done to survive and like you, yes I have hated myself for things I’ve done
but there’s nothing I can do to change who I am. Baby, you can’t let this take
you down because I can assure you, as a Fox, you will kill again.”

I stumbled backwards, my heart
threatening to beat out of my chest. What the hell? What the fuck did she mean
‘You will kill
again
’? Again? Again meant she’d done it before!

They both stared at me when I flung the
door open, Ava rolling her eyes and sighing and Katie looking at me like I’d
found out she’d committed murder. Ironic, huh?

“What the hell?” I barked at Katie,
making her rear back in horror when she witnessed the wrath start to take hold
of me.

“Katie, go to bed,” Ava said calmly.

“Like fuck!” I turned on Ava. “What the
hell is going on?”

She glared at me, giving me warning with
her eyes. “Calm the fuck down and I will explain.”

“Calm – the – fuck – down?” I growled as
I slowly made my way over to her. Katie scuttled off the chair and stood in
front of her mother.

“Dad… please…”

“Katie,” Ava cut in. “Go to bed. Now!”

In a dilemma, Katie flicked her eyes
between me and Ava, her face tight with worry. “Mum...”

“Now, Katie!”

I was struggling to breathe, my chest
heaving as my lungs adapted to the fierce invasion of oxygen. My whole body was
humming with anger and adrenaline, sweat already slicking my palms as my fists
clenched tightly. I closed my eyes, trying my best to rein it in but it was too
hard. “Go to bed,” I grated, my teeth clenched tightly as I tried to control
myself in front of my baby.

I didn’t open my eyes until I heard the
door click shut. Ava was sat on a chair, calm as fuck, looking up at me.  Swallowing
tightly, I cleared my throat and licked my lips. “Explain.”

“Sit down.”

I shook my head, locking down her stare
with my own, both of us battling with each other to stay composed. “No.
Explain.”

She bit her lip and clicked her tongue,
quirking her eyebrow slightly. “I will explain when you get your head out of
your ass and calm – the – fuck – down.”

She gasped when I grabbed her arm and
pulled her out of the chair, dragging her body flush to mine so she could feel
my temper as well as see it. “Don’t push me, Ava. I’m not doing so well right
now. Don’t play one of your childish fucking games with me. Why the fuck did
you say
again
when you said Katie would kill? Oh and let’s not forget
the ‘As a Fox’ part. You know damn fucking well I didn’t want this life for the
kids!”

And still she stood there, staring at
me, serene and un-fucking-ruffled. “If there’s anything that I remember from my
school days,” she spouted coolly, “is a quote from Saint Augustine.” I stared
at her. She’d gone crazy. “Thou hast created us for thyself, and our heart is not
quiet until it rests in thee.”

My eyes widened on her. “What?”

Closing her eyes, she shook her head
sadly. “I discovered many things from my time locked up with Rebecca, Mason.”

What the fuck?

“And the one that finally hit home for
me,” she whispered almost sorrowfully, “is that you create in us what you want
for you. You manipulated Rebecca until she was nothing but a shell of who she
once was. All that controlled her was you, her need to make you happy. Her,
almost primal,
behaviour
was nothing
more than a woman’s natural instinct to fight for her man.”

I stared at her, my heart slowing as her
words hit me with the force of a hurricane. She cupped my face gently with her
hand, a small soft smile tilting her lips as her love for me shone brightly in
her stunning green depths. “Yet, through all the years I have been with you, I
know for sure that you are unaware of your power over anyone. Hell, even I
didn’t see it until a couple of years ago. Your natural character is made that
way, Mason. It’s nothing you do specifically but you feed us, nurture us, almost
form us into a piece of you.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that how you ever expected
the kids to lead a life separate from what we do is rainbows and bullshit. They
are our children Mason, they have our genes, our blood, parts of our souls.
They’re gonna follow us however much we block the path that leads them there.”

I slumped into the chair finally,
needing to support the hurt her disclosure had hit me with. “But I tried, Ava.
I never wanted them to have to… do this shit!”

“I know.” She smiled, slipping back onto
the chair beside me. She was too far away, my soul needed her. Reaching across,
I dragged her over the gap and settled her on my knee. She rested her head on
my chest when I wrapped my arm around her.

“Tell me what happened.”

She sighed and nuzzled further into me.
“Katie rang me in a mess a couple of months ago.” She felt me stiffen but she
carried on. “She’d come home from a party and found a guy strangling and raping
her best friend.”

“What the hell?”

She nodded and sighed again. “She lost
it, Mason. Picked up that bloody bookend I’d bought her for Christmas last year
and set to work on him.”

Vomit surged up my throat and I gagged.
My poor little girl.

“I calmed her down. Got someone out
there…”

“Who?” She tensed making me instantly
wary. “Who, Ava. Who did you get to do the clean up?”

She hesitated, making me close my eyes
to brace myself when I knew her answer before she spoke it. “Steed.”

We both winced when the sound of my
teeth cracking was loud in the silence.

“I didn’t know who else to call, Mason.
I knew Greg and Sam would tell you.”

She lowered her face to the floor when I
pushed her off my knee and stood up. I was trying so hard to control it but it
was racing through me at a speed that I couldn’t stop. My vision swayed when my
fingers cracked into place, one by one, each of them curling and forming fists
as my ribs creaked with the swell of hatred inside me.

“Mason, please…”

I spun round and laughed. It was either
that or launch her through the window. “How long have you been talking to him?”

She shook her head quickly. “I haven’t!”

“Yet,” I whispered as I grabbed her chin
and made her look at me. “Yet, you chose to phone him instead of telling me and
letting me sort out my own daughter’s problems!”

“It wasn’t like that!”

“No?” I scoffed. “Well it fucking looks
like that to me. I told you to delete his number, baby. So care to tell me why…
WHY you rang him?”

“What the fuck was I supposed to do
Mason?” she screamed, “My baby needed me and I couldn’t get to her. I had to
listen to her screaming and breaking on the bloody phone. She needed me! Her
mother! And where was I?” She pushed at me, her temper snapping as tears flowed
down her face. “I was in bed with you and Kade and her fucking Aunty Grace.
Yeah, pretty shit, huh? She’s bashing a rapist over the head repeatedly, his
blood not only staining her body but her spirit, while I’m getting my oats sown.”
She dropped her head and sobbed. “I didn’t know what to do, Mason. She was
hurting. I knew it would hurt you if you found out. And I couldn’t…”

“Hey!” I pulled her against me, holding
on to her as she broke. “Shush.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t…”

Sitting us both down, I allowed her to
get it out as I sat and rocked her, my heart breaking with hers as the reality
of what Katie had done made me nauseas. Just as both Ava and I were putting our
lives to rest, our children were stepping into the horror of what their parents
had created. And as Ava had said, there was nothing we could do to stop it. It
was and always had been their destiny, no matter how much we tried to create a
sweet and unrealistic future for them.

“Is Nikki okay?” I asked eventually when
she calmed down, hoping to God Katie’s best friend had survived it.

She nodded against me. “Yeah, Steed got
some of his friends to sort her out. He took care of them both, Mason. I owe
him a lot for what he did. He dropped everything…”

“Yes, that’s the problem,” I huffed.
“His pants included.”

I couldn’t help but smile when she
snorted then giggled. “I would never…. I was in a bad place when I went with Steed,
Mason. But I would never…”

“I know, baby. It was just a bit of a
shock.”

“She has nightmares,” she whispered, her
voice breaking and making me squeeze my eyes together at the pain that tore
through my chest.

“Is she struggling?”

She blew out a breath and sat up but
remained on my knee. “Yes, but not because of the fact that she killed him.”

I tipped my head in confusion. “What do
you mean?”

She sucked in her lips then shrugged.
“She… she’s struggling with the fact that…”

“That?”

“Well, she’s worried there’s something
wrong with her because it doesn’t shock her as much as it should.”

“I’m not with you, Ava?”

“She got a thrill, Mason!”

My brows shot into my hair as my mouth
fell open. “She… Katie…
enjoyed
killing him?”

Ava nodded slowly, gulping as her eyes
pinned mine. “Oh yeah. And she’s scared to death because of what that means.”

“Fucking – hell!” I choked out. “I had
kind of thought George would go that way, but Katie…”

“She’s already asked Kerrie for a job,”
she disclosed, her face squeezing with her revelation.

“What the fuck?”

“If it’s how she’s built Mason then we
need to love her for it.”

“I just… I don’t know whether to
throttle some sense into her or be proud that my baby girl is so much like her
mother.”

She slapped me, her mouth a perfect ‘O’
in shock. “Me?” I quirked an eyebrow at her, challenging her denial. She
shrugged and pursed her lips. “Okay, maybe a little like me.”

Her sudden grin lit my heart and I
laughed, shaking my head in disbelief at the knowledge that my daughter was to
become an assassin. Rolling her head around her shoulders, she yawned, the
action squeezing another tear from the corner of her eye.