Second Chances by D.L. Roan Page A

you need us to, sweetheart.”
    Whatever thoughts she had begun to have about the ‘ we’ comment were completely obliterated when Mason pulled back and traced her lips with his fingers. She could smell herself on his hand. What she thought should be embarrassing suddenly became the most erotic pleasure she never imagined existed, let alone one she would enjoy. The tip of her tongue snaked across her bottom lip, tasting herself for the first time. Looking back now, she thought the action had been quite slutty. What had she been thinking? But Mason obviously had a different opinion. He brought his fingers to his lips and tasted her, licked her essence from his calloused digits then kissed her senseless again. She couldn’t remember who broke the kiss, but they were both breathless and panting when he had finally helped her down from the table and wrapped her in his arms
    What was left of her senses had evidently malfunctioned because when he had asked her to come back for Sunday supper to finalize their plans for Conner, she had immediately agreed. When he’d walked her to her car, she felt a twinge of guilt about not saying goodbye to Matt. Then a huge wave of disbelief and mortification crashed over her as she’d realized she had just been making out with his brother. Something similar to shame had fought for space in her head, but strangely it had nothing to do with what had happen between the three of them.  No, she knew then, just as she knew now, that she should have never let things go that far.
    Now, standing in the canned goods aisle of the local supermarket, she battled with the decision to call them and back out of their Sunday plans. She’d read every label on every can of beans, peas, corn and tomato’s on the shelves, twice, and hadn’t really seen any of them. Her mind kept reliving their kisses and caresses, mingling them with blurred memories of blood and death. That part of her life was supposed to be over, but she couldn’t allow herself to really believe it enough to live out the fantasies, the hope that Mason and Matt had given her.
    She needed a therapist. She understood doctor-patient confidentiality, had lived by it at one time herself, but she could never bring herself to trust that deeply. If her father or Lucian ever wanted the doctor to talk, he or she would, no doubt, telling them everything they wanted to know.
    She reached out for a can of green beans and fumbled the can, sending the ones stacked precariously around it tumbling to the floor around her. When she tried to catch one, it bounced off her fingers and crashed into the shelf, knocking more cans to the floor and rolling down the aisle. Sighing to herself, painfully aware of her sudden lack of coordination, she stooped to pick up the closest of the wayward cans when a stranger’s hand moved on top of hers. Her head shot up as the hand jerked back and she found herself face to face with a man she didn’t know.
    “Let me help,” the man offered with a shy smile and began to gather up the cans. He stacked them back on the shelf as she grabbed for the few still a t her feet. The stranger stood and slid a few clumsy steps down the aisle to gather those that had rolled away, reaching low under the bottom shelf for one in particular. When he returned, he stacked them on the shelf behind her then held one out to her.
    When she didn’t move, he pushed it toward her, urging her to take it. “The one you were after, I believe.” His eyes were sincere and his tone friendly. Still , she didn’t move. “Surely you want it. I’ve never seen someone study a can of beans for so long.”
    Her eyes darted to the can in his hand and then back to him. Her mouth went dry and her insides began to shake. Who was he? “You…you were watching me?”
    His smile turned shy again and he blushed. Blushing on command had been one of the more difficult tactics he’d mastered, but he’d used it so often it seemed effortless now. And it always