by Kaylea Cross
“Right.”
He snorted. “Come on.”
“What?” She shot him an annoyed look.
“That’s ridiculous. No one will believe we’re together.”
“Sure they will, because they know me. We’ll just be subtle about it. Classy.”
He gave her a telling look. “You might have noticed, but I’m not the subtle type.”
Her cheeks turned a bit pink. “You can be subtle for one weekend.”
She’d soon learn that he wasn’t much for rule following when he thought the rules were stupid. Not that he was going to tell her that. Way more fun to let her find out on her own. “If you were mine, I’d let everyone know it.”
“What’s that mean?” Her tone held a note of alarm.
“It means I wouldn’t be subtle,” he said, throwing the word back at her.
Her fingers fidgeted in her lap. “My family’s pretty conservative, and they’ll all be curious about us. I’m not comfortable with—”
“Hey.” He reached over to squeeze her hand. He’d never seen her like this, anxious and a little unsure of herself. He didn’t like seeing her worried, so unlike the confident, put-together woman he’d seen over the past month-and-a-half. “Let’s just let things happen naturally, okay? We’ll play it by ear, but even if I’m not your version of subtle, I’m not going to embarrass you or anything.”
She let out a relieved breath when he released her hand. “Then there’s the bed issue,” she went on. “I’ve asked them to bring a cot to our room, or put us in a room with a pullout bed for you.”
He shook his head. “We’ve been together for weeks and I can’t even sleep on the far side of the bed from you. That’s cold, Avery. Why are we together again?” If she was his, no fucking way she’d be sleeping alone in the bed. He’d be touching her every chance he got, getting her worked up, making her wet and needy for him.
“Those are the rules, Mason,” she said firmly. “And we’ll take turns with who gets first shower.”
“Or, we could—”
“Don’t say it.”
That was better, her anxiety was gone again. Damn he loved her sense of authority. It challenged his dominant side, made him want to find out what it would take to peel all that control away from her in bed.
Arousal stirred in his gut at the thought. He’d fantasized about that so many times since meeting her. Had thought about her way too much and couldn’t seem to stop. “Is it your family you’re more worried about seeing?”
“No. Well, yes. Kind of. But mostly my ex. Anyway, enough about me. What about your family? I don’t know anything about them.”
It wasn’t a pretty story, and not one he wanted to share with her yet because like her, he didn’t want to be the object of pity. So he gave her the abbreviated version. Maybe he’d tell her more later, depending on how things went with them. “There’s only my mom in Calgary.”
She nodded. “Are you close?”
“Yeah.”
“Any siblings?”
Dozens of foster kids his mom had taken in over the years. He only kept in touch with a couple of them via email now. “No. So, what do you like to do for fun?”
“I thought we were talking about you now.”
“Not gonna answer?”
“I like to eat.”
He shot her a quizzical look and she laughed softly, the happy sound making him smile a little. “It’s true. I love to eat. I just hate cooking for myself all the time,” she said. “It’s a drag.”
“I like to eat too. See?” he teased. “We’ve got something in common after all.”
She nodded, the hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “And we’ve both got great taste in friends.”
“Hell yeah, we do.” Tate rocked, and Nina was a sweetheart. Quirky and nerdy and she had her head in the clouds—or space—half the time, but a sweetheart nonetheless.
“Tell me more about you and Tate, and Braxton. Tate’s talked about him but I’ve never met him.”
“Where do I even start?” Mason said with a fond smile.
“At the beginning. We’ve got over six hours to kill.”
“Okay, then.” He told her about how bored he’d been in the regular army until he’d finally served long enough to try out for JTF2. He’d met Braxton at Dwyer Hill in Ontario during selection. “Eventually we made the unit together. Brax is a sniper.”
“Was selection as awful as I imagine?” she asked.
“Yep, and worse. But I loved it. The challenge of it. Guys started dropping out right away. We lost over twenty-percent in the first three days.”
“Did you ever think about quitting?”
He’d be lying if he said no. “Once. It was the middle of January on the prairies and we’d just finished a winter training exercise. I was beat up, hungry, freezing and miserable. But so was everyone else, and when I looked around, it hit me again that there weren’t many of us left. I decided I’d come too far and gone through too much to give up then. So I sucked it up and stopped thinking about how shitty everything seemed or felt. I did one task. Just one, then another. Then the next. And the next, until I’d made it through.”
“That’s pretty amazing. Tate’s told me things about his time in the Marines that sounded damn awful. I admire all of you a lot for your service.”
Her praise touched a hidden place deep inside him that he never let anyone see, even as it made him a little uncomfortable too. “We were all just doing our jobs.” Brax was still doing his. And Mason would have given anything to be there with him. “What made you decide to be a cop?”
“I didn’t, until I was thirty-two. I had a psych degree and didn’t know what to do with it. I worked in a few different jobs but nothing felt right. I knew I wanted to help people and make a difference, and the thought of taking down bad guys was a major bonus. My family was horrified,” she added with a chuckle.
“Really?”
“My mom almost had a heart attack. Was convinced I was going to die on every patrol I went on while I was a beat cop. I used to have to text her after each shift to prove I was still alive,” she finished with a wry smile, then looked over at him. “Your mom must have worried about you a lot.”
“I think she did, but she hid it well. She’s a tough lady. Sent the best care packages ever, full of homemade stuff. The guys would always fight over whatever she sent.”
“She sounds like an incredible mom.”
“She is. She’s been there for me through everything, just like all the other kids she’s fostered over the years.”
Avery stared at him. “You were a foster kid?”
“Yeah. But she’s my mom. Without her and the military, I wouldn’t be here.”
“You still miss it?”
He nodded, jaw tightening. “Every day.” How weird was it that he missed something that had almost killed him several times? But he did. Missed the brotherhood and the sense of belonging, knowing he was part of something elite that most people could never do.
The hard, was what made it great. Having all that taken away so suddenly was still unbearable some days.
“Anyway, after I was discharged from the Canadian Forces, I was laid up for a while.” Having surgeries on his knees and back from the injuries sustained in the crash that still haunted him, and he didn’t want to talk about any of it. His mom and Brax were the only two people he’d ever told what really happened that day. “Once I was healed up, I decided to give contracting a shot, and that’s when I met Tate. You know the rest.”
“It’s so strange how everyone’s connected,” she mused.
He changed the subject by asking her more about her work as a detective. They talked about various things, then lapsed into a comfortable silence for the rest of the first half of the trip.
After stopping for lunch at a barbecue place just off the highway, they carried on to Billings. Avery dozed for a bit until they were twenty miles outside of town.
Once they reached the city limit, she
got really quiet again, and he could all but feel the tension building inside her. The guest ranch was located eleven miles outside the city.
Mason turned into the main parking lot and let out a low whistle. “Looks even more expensive in person.” The pictures on the website hadn’t done it justice. “So this is a low-end wedding, is it?”
One side of her mouth lifted. “Ha, no. My family doesn’t do weddings half-assed.” She got out and headed for the trunk.
Mason lifted her suitcase out, then grabbed his duffel and garment bag. Slinging them both over one shoulder, he shut the trunk, locked the Jeep and curled an arm around Avery’s waist. She froze, looking up at him with startled, golden eyes.
He held her gaze and kept his hand firmly on her waist. “If you’re going to tense up on me like that every time I touch you, we’re never gonna pull this off,” he murmured.
She searched his eyes a moment, and he felt that electrical current again, buzzing between them and all across his skin. Then she lowered her gaze and nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Yeah, let’s.
The main building of the lodge was a huge, three-story craftsman-style log building with the lobby and reception rooms in the center, and large guest wings extending from either side. Private cabins and other buildings were scattered around the rear of the resort.
A dozen or so people were milling around the lobby when they entered, while the sunset glowed through the bank of massive windows that covered the back wall. A rock fireplace rose right up to the beams spanning the ceiling, a large wood fire ablaze in the grate.
Avery tensed a little and looked around. Mason squeezed her waist gently and walked her over to the front desk to check in. Several people rushed over to embrace her. Avery introduced him to an aunt, two cousins and a nephew, who all watched him with open curiosity.
“See you guys later tonight,” Avery said when they were done, and turned to face the front desk.
“Avery Dahl,” she said, handing over her ID to the clerk. “Checking out Sunday.”
“Welcome, Ms. Dahl, we’re glad to have you.” The clerk typed something into his computer. “Okay, we’ve got you in the Ponderosa cabin. It’s got an incredible view of the lake from the loft bedroom.”
Avery frowned. “Cabin? No, I’m in the main lodge with the rest of my family. We’re here for the wedding—”
“I upgraded us to a luxury cabin,” Mason said, aware of her relatives watching and listening nearby.
Avery snapped her head around to gape at him. “What? Why would you—”
He settled his hands on her hips and tugged her close, aware of the eyes on them. “Nothing but the best for my lady,” he said, loud enough for the others to hear him, then dropped a kiss on her lips, which were still parted in surprise.
She tensed and sucked in a breath but he was already lifting his head and curling an arm around her to pull her into his side. It was no hardship for him to play this role, and it felt eerily natural to claim her publicly. He liked it. Maybe too much.
“How many beds does it have?” she said to the clerk.
“A king-size.”
She frowned and lowered her voice, maybe hoping her relatives wouldn’t overhear. “Is there a pullout couch? He snores.”
Mason grinned and nuzzled the hair next to her temple, breathing in the clean vanilla scent of her. “You’re gonna find out whether I do or not soon enough,” he murmured, and choked back a laugh at the tiny jab of her sharp elbow in his ribs.
“I’m afraid not, but there’s a loveseat and an armchair,” the clerk said. “You could pull them together if necessary to make another bed, though I’m not sure he would be comfortable that way, given his height.”
Mason straightened and pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. Avery was clearly not happy, but he was.
She let out an irritated sigh. “Will we be able to check into a different room tomorrow?”
“No, unfortunately all rooms and cabins are fully booked for the entire weekend.” He gave her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s…fine,” she muttered, and handed over her credit card.
Mason caught her hand and pushed it back toward her. “It’s already paid for. I’ll take that,” he said to the clerk, snagging the key.
Avery glared up at him. He raised an eyebrow and subtly indicated her relatives with a sideways glance. The glare disappeared, a sweet smile forming in its place, even as her eyes shot sparks at him. “Shall we?”
“Yes. Can’t wait to get you alone.” He dropped another kiss on her lips and slung his arm around her shoulders as they headed for the rear exit that would lead to the path to the cabins.
“Don’t look so happy,” she muttered under her breath as they stepped outside.
Mason smiled to himself and started whistling softly, smart enough not to push her more right now. This was the most fun he’d had in forever.
WHAT THE HELL just happened?
Avery felt like she’d been run over with a steamroller as she walked beside him down the pea gravel path toward the cabins, slightly dazed. She couldn’t say anything to him yet, there were people around. Thankfully none of her relatives or her ex, but still.
She was acutely aware of his heavy arm curled around her shoulders, the warmth and strength of it. His body heat and crisp, clean scent teasing her.
It did things to her. Things she didn’t want happening to her, and worse, he seemed to be enjoying this.
He’d also kissed her in front of everyone. Twice. The first time he’d caught her so off guard she hadn’t been ready for it. But the second…
Shit, she was still feeling it, her lips tingling. He’d shaved off his short beard, and was possibly even more gorgeous without it. A rush of heat sped through her, pooling low in her belly and tightening her nipples. Dammit, no.
“This is us,” he said, turning off the main pathway.
The two-story log cabin sat perched on a little knoll overlooking the lake. Trailing pink and yellow flowers spilled from window boxes along the front porch, with two blue rocking chairs flanking the front door.
It was charming. And the absolute last place she wanted to be alone with Mason.
He unlocked the door for her and she marched inside, towing her suitcase. The instant he shut it behind him, she rounded on him. “What are you doing?” she demanded.
“What?” All innocence, Mason set the key on the table by the door.
“You know what. This cabin. Why did you do this?”
He faced her, and in this cozy space being alone with him suddenly felt way too intimate. “Because I know you’re stressed and wanted you to be able to relax and actually enjoy yourself a little this weekend. I thought this would give you more privacy to unwind away from everyone.”
She eyed him, one hand still holding her suitcase handle. “And it had nothing to do with you wanting privacy for an ulterior motive.” Because that so wasn’t happening.
He grinned. “Why, would you be interested if I had one?”
The balls on him. What game was he playing? “I believe I made the rules clear. Speaking of…” She let go of her suitcase and went up the stairs to the loft.
Dammit, the king-size bed took up the entire loft, with no room for a cot, and the downstairs was too crowded for one. She’d gone through a rough time during and after the divorce. She’d been married, had devoted herself to a man who, as it turned out, hadn’t ever really loved her. Now she was stuck in this private and romantic cabin with a man way too good-looking and sexy and damaged for her own good, who had heartbreak written all over him.
What the hell had she been thinking, doing this to herself?
She marched back down the stairs. “I hope you can fold up on that loveseat.”
Mason set his duffel on the floor and cocked a dark brown eyebrow at her, the setting sun’s rays streaming through the windows at the back of the cabin overlooking the lake bathed him in a warm glow. Outlining the mouthwateri
ng lines of his powerful frame.
She raised her chin. “Just because you paid for this doesn’t mean you’re getting anything more than we agreed on.”
His expression cooled, a spark of anger flashing in his eyes. “I don’t want anything you don’t want to give, so no worries there.”
Avery checked her attitude, chastened. She’d offended him. He’d given up his weekend to help her out. And if he’d truly booked this for her to have more privacy from everyone, then she felt bad for what she’d said. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I’m just…”
“Flustered.”
She shot him a glare, annoyed that he read her so easily and that her damn cheeks were getting hot. “I’m not flustered,” she snapped. “Just, whatever, let’s get through this weekend and then things can go back to normal again.”
She grabbed her suitcase when he reached for it and carried it up the stairs, berating herself with every step. This had been a colossally stupid idea on her part, and she had no one to blame for her predicament but herself.
Between being cooped up alone here with Mason after pretending he was her boyfriend in front of her family and dreading the moment she came face to face with her ex, she was going to need to get drunk to get through it all.
Dammit. She already couldn’t wait for this weekend to be over.
Chapter Six
There she was.
Shannon turned away from the lobby and walked toward the hallway leading to the east guest wing, her heart drumming hard against her ribs. She smiled at several guests who passed her, then paused, standing with her back to the wall in order to survey her target.
Avery’s height and bright-colored hair made it easy to spot her amongst the people milling around the lobby. Shannon watched as she spoke with the front desk clerk.
Hatred swelled inside her. She’d found out everything she could about Avery Dahl over the past week. It had been harder than she’d thought. Searching social media and other sources online hadn’t netted much. Avery kept a low profile. But her family roots ran deep in Billings.
