I don’t usually do acknowledgements but I thought as we
say goodbye to Ava and Mason it was about time I thanked the people I love for
their unwavering support. So here we go;

Firstly to Paul, you have been there throughout this
whole experience and your support and confidence in me drove me harder to reach
my goal. As our lives take on a different journey, I know your pride in me will
see me through many tough times and new corners. Thank you for being my
foundation for the last twenty five years and hopefully many more as true
friends should.

To my youngest son, Aaron, who at just eleven years old
anguishes and despairs at the worlds many adversities and tragedies. You are
the most caring, compassionate and amazing young man a mother could ask for and
I thank God for you every day.

Also a huge thank you for your amazing writing skills and
your contribution to
Resolution
and the C.O.D scene during Mason’s
withdrawal. You will one day be an amazing writer and I hope you continue with
your love of reading and writing. I love you sweetheart and you humble me.

Next to my amazing, spirited daughter, Kerrie; You‘re
huge heart and sense of fun see me through even the blackest days. You are
always there for me, understand me and you are the one that drags me out of the
darkness. Whatever life throws at you; you smile, straighten your shoulders and
venture on, and you will never know how much I respect and admire you for that.
You are my best friend, my confidence and my heart. I love you my beautiful
girl.

And now to my eldest, Ashley, who at the age of 21 has
already established his own business, created an amazing PC game and just
celebrated the sale of this game to a major games publisher, whilst continuing
his studies at university. My pride in you is limitless.

You’re faith and conviction in me gave me the confidence
to follow my dream and I know I will forever be in awe of your remarkable
strength and determination.

You make my heart swell with pride and I am honoured to
be your mum. I love you infinitely.

A small but significant mention to my best friend,
Debbie, who supplies me with endless smiles, wicked giggles and tissues for my
tears. I would say that you make me sane, but actually you drive me crazy. I
love you, Petal, you’re my therapist.

A mention to my 3%ers, Angela and Rachel. Thank you for
your encouragement, your never ending stream of endless chatter when I need it
and your determination to promote my books… Oh, and also for the limitless
links and geese dispelling ;)

And finally to you, the reader, because without you there
wouldn’t be any acknowledgements to write. Your continued support, lovely words
of encouragement and messages of admiration bring a smile with every single
one. So thank you, and as you continue to enjoy my stories, I shall endeavour
to bring you the alphas, the feisty heroines and the naughty scenes.

I love you all,

Dawn x

Sometimes, love is just
that little bit too unforgiving

prologue
Mason

6
years earlier

I knew she would change my life the exact moment she
walked into the room.

Fuck me, Heaven had sent her – or hell, whichever way you
wanted to look at it.

The mass of red curls were striking out everywhere atop
her head in every direction, her stunning bright green eyes drank you in and
devoured you; the way they held my gaze when I studied her told me of her deep
passion and I knew she would be the little firecracker I needed.

Her curvy soft pink lips were crying out for mine to
empower and control and I watched them as they parted for her to draw in a
small gasp. My eyes fluttered and my dick groaned as I pictured the curve of
them over my cock, taking every single damn inch of me.

Fuck!

She followed the trek that my eyes were taking with her
own little inspection.

She wanted me as much as I desired her. That much was
obvious, but there was something behind her eyes. Denial, maybe; discipline,
definitely but there was something else, something…mysterious but sorrowful.

My eyes had ventured lower, over the swell of her large breasts.
The plump flesh was shrouded behind a thin white striped cotton shirt and the
slightest impression of her lace bra was visible through the material.

And even lower to the contours of her lush hips, a
perfect size for my hands to grab onto with command and dominance, then down to
the sheer skyscraper heels adorning her small feet.

She was an angel; perfect.

What the hell, Mase?

I gestured to a seat for her to sit down and inwardly
smirked when she wobbled slightly. Oh, she was affected by me alright but this
one was George’s girl; out of limits to someone like me; definitely too pure
for someone like me.

Untouchable.

But, hell, she was fucking exquisite; as though God had
created her from my fantasies, from my internal list of everything perfect in a
woman.

“Mr Fox?” Trevor stuttered in my ear and I turned back to
the window to divert my attention back to the prick who was currently trying to
wind his tongue up my arsehole.

“If I have to explain what I want from you one more time
Trevor, I will personally send Sam round for a visit. And if you think you have
got off lightly with Sam, bear in mind I will be the next port of call. You got
me?”

“Y… yes, Mr Fox. But…”

I blew out a heavy breath and clenched my free hand into
a fist as I fought the urge to pull this idiot through the phone and rearrange
his pretty fucking face.

“What?”

“It’s just, uhh, a couple of the, uhh… girls are playing
up for Julie and she…”

“She can handle it.”

“But, really, Mr Fox she doesn’t seem to be
handling
it, if you get my drift.”

I blew out another breath. Christ, did I have to do
fucking everything? “Right, get Rebecca in,” I relented slightly, already bored
and fed up with this idiot and I was eager to get him off the line. “I’ll call
in later.”

He let out a heavy sigh and I could feel him nodding even
though I couldn’t see him. “Thank you.”

Closing my eyes in frustration I slid my phone closed and
pulled in a hefty breath before I turned back to the pussy’s drooling over Miss
Stone.

“I’m sure I can sort it out” she smiled at Greg. My God,
this woman had a stunning smile. The twinkle that lit her eyes brightened the
whole of her pale freckled face and I sank my teeth into my lower lip at the
twitch in my stomach.

What the hell was wrong with me?

“You can sort me out anytime, Ava” Dane growled.
Seriously? This man needed better chat up lines.

I spotted her squirm as her face darkened with her
discomfort.

“Dane!” I barked at him, “Enough.”

I didn’t acknowledge the feeling that was coursing
through my veins at my friends hit on her. I never did possessive and I wasn’t
about to start now.

She wouldn’t be mine, I wouldn’t allow her to be mine but
the erotic images of her panting and writhing underneath me wouldn’t leave my
damn fucking head.

Jesus - Fucking - Christ.

This woman would tempt me every which way but I had to
stay away from her. I needed to stay away from her.

I would break her; I knew it before I’d even said one
word to her.

Mine, mine, mine!

Fuck!

“Miss Stone, welcome aboard. I have business to discuss
with these gentlemen so Sam will show you to the kitchen. If you could manage
to work the coffee machine, I would be grateful if you could bring us all some
coffee.” I told her, hiding my emotion well and virtually barking at her.

I needed to rein this in. I needed her to be wary of me.
I needed her to stay away. I needed her under me. I needed my name ripped from
her lips as I thrust into her warmth deep and hard. I needed her to come hard
around my cock.

I needed her heart and I needed her soul.

“No problem Mr Fox, I’m sure I’ll figure it out” She
smiled sweetly as she stood and waited for Sam to escort her.

The way she said Mr Fox gave a shot of electricity to my
dick as well as inside my chest.

Shit!

What the hell was wrong with me? Never, and I mean never,
had I had this reaction. I didn’t know how to control it. I didn’t even know if
I wanted to control it.

She would just be another bitch after my money as well as
my cock but this time I didn’t think so, there was just something about her
that drew me in and locked me up.

It was like she had cast a spell. Maybe she had and a
little twitch lifted my lips at the thought of what other magic she held.

Fuck it, she was going to be mine. Mine. Mine!

Fucking mine!

Chapter 1
mason

“Daddy?”

I diverted my gaze away from Ava. She was shaking her
head marginally at the conversation she was having on her phone. Her back was
to me but I could tell by the hold of her shoulders that she wasn’t happy. Her
head was low as she ran a hand through her mass of copper curls frantically
whilst she whispered just as agitatedly.

Katie tugged on my trousers again and I smiled down at
her. “What, Sweetie?”

She pursed her lips the only way she can, which was to
kind of suck in one side of her lips and let the other side pop. She thought it
made her look like her mother when she was working at the laptop. I thoroughly
agreed.

“Can we be serious for a moment?”

I coughed slightly, to hide the snort that wanted to rise
and nodded earnestly as I bent to a crouch before her.

She clambered onto my thigh and I shuffled her little
body further on as she huffed out a great big sigh. “I think I’m in love.”

Christ!

I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to desperately
control my facial expressions. I nodded again and patted her knee, “And how do
you know its love, poppet?”

“Well… I always get a funny feeling in my tummy when I
look at him.”

I waited for her to continue but apparently that was it.
“Right and what’s his name?”

“Gerald.” She divulged quite openly and I frowned at the
name.

“Uh-huh and how old is Gerald?” I asked her cautiously,
holding my insides in preparation.

She gave me
‘The look’
, the one that said ‘how
stupid are adults!’ and huffed again. “He’s six, daddy, like me.”

Thank Fuck!

“Does… Gerald feel the same about you?”

She screwed her cute nose up and shrugged as she tipped
her head to the side to consider my question. “Well, I think he does. He smiles
at me a lot and he keeps pinching my ruler and Maisie says that’s because he’s in
love with me.”

I stared at the floor, desperately trying to vault my
mind back to when I was six. Did I steal girl’s rulers? Hell, if I can
remember.

Ava moved to the corner of the room and lowered her voice
but I caught her whispered plea, “Please, don’t do this.”

I frowned as I tipped my head to listen in more but Katie
had other ideas, I was hers for the duration and she demanded every bit of my
attention. “Are you listening, daddy?”

I nodded firmly at her and gave her my best smile. She
nodded in approval as she stared at me with her brow high in query.

I shrugged and shook my head in bewilderment and she
rolled her pretty green eyes, “Well?”

“Well….” I encouraged her to fill me in to what was
expected.

“Well, is it love, daddy?”

“I doubt it, poppet, you’re only six.”

Wrong words apparently. She proper glared at me, full on hateful,
spitting feathers glare and I diverted quickly. “Have you kissed him?” I
whispered playfully.

Her eyes widened and she reared back. “Daddy, I’m six!”

Oh, now it’s okay to mention her age.

“Well,” I paused to give effect, “It might be love, or it
might not be, the only person who will know that is you, sweetie, and Gerald of
course.”

She deliberated for a while then kissed my cheek
sloppily. “You’re right. And I don’t think I want to be in love yet. I want to
enjoy my life before I settle down.”

Give me strength.

Ava slammed her phone on the worktop and I watched as her
shoulders sagged in resignation. She continued to stare out of the window as
her little finger lifted to her mouth and she proceeded to chew it to near
death.

“Go and tell your brother to hurry with his teeth,
sweetie. It’s nearly time for school” I told Katie as I patted her thigh and
lifted her off mine.

She glanced at her mother, recognising the oncoming storm
but nodded and hurried out of the room as I slid my arms around Ava’s waist.
She jolted and spun round. I didn’t miss the false smile adorning her face.
“You okay, baby?”

Her fake smile got wider as she nodded. I tipped my head
and studied her, “You sure, Ava?”

She swallowed before she answered around her finger,
“Yeah.”

Okay, she was feeding me shit again. Third time this week
and something was definitely bothering her. I tilted her head back with a
finger to her chin and narrowed my eyes as I perused the panic on her face,
“Now tell me the truth, baby.”

She tried to look affronted but she forgot how long I had
been doing this job. It was in my best interests, especially if I wanted to
remain alive, that I read people and over the years I had gotten good at it,
now in particular.

She huffed and shook her head, “Nothing’s wrong, Mason.
I’m just tired, that’s all.”

I twisted my lips and sighed. “Eight years, baby.”

She frowned in confusion at me and I raised my brow at
her. “Together, eight years now and you forget I can read you like a book. Now
– tell – me – the – truth.” I demanded from her, my anger at her reticence
bubbling quietly in the pit of my gut.

Her nose scrunched quite adorably as her teeth sank into
her lip and I couldn’t help think how sweet it made her look but her hands
slammed into my chest and pushed me back a little. “I said I’m fine, Mason, and
I’m fine; just a headache.”

Okay, she was tired a minute ago.

“Ava…” I warned but Georgie came to her rescue, flying
into the room at rocket speed as he slid along the floor in his socks.

“George!” she scolded but I knew it was a digression so
she could move away from me.

I followed the sway of her lush hips under her dress as
she moved across the room to save George from the cupboard handle he had caught
his belt on.

Her mind-blowing body was still the ultimate in sin and
our passion was still raw and primal, even after eight years. The heat and
thrill was still intense between us and I was constantly hard for her;
constantly yearned for her sumptuous body to be beneath me and I knew she felt
the same. Christ, sometimes she was so hot I couldn’t sate her until I had
taken her every which way.

“Come on. Did you do your teeth?” she asked George as she
led him from the kitchen to prepare for school.

I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. Something was
off, something big and I hated the fact that she didn’t feel she could tell me.

We had been to hell and back in our past and I thought
she now trusted me.

Yes, I had been an arse to her. The drugs and women had
nearly been the end of us, but we dragged our relationship through it and came
out the other end, both of us stronger and more in love; or so I believed.

My phone rang in my pocket and I groaned at the name when
I pulled it out. “Wendy” I greeted austerely. This fucking woman was a
liability and would be the death of me.

“Mr Fox…” she flustered and my hackles rose at her tone,
“You need to get here quick, it’s… Yvonne, she’s been… strangled and… and well
not nicely.”

The fuck! Was there any nice way to be fucking strangled?
Stupid woman.

“The fuck?” I barked at her and I grit my teeth at her
gasp.

“Last night. Dunno what happened but Fran’s only just
found her.”

“Fucking Christ” I spat as I pulled on my shoes and
slammed the front door behind me.

BOOK: Atonement (Heart of Stone)

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