by Kaylea Cross
Inside they all sat around Avery’s living room. It was cozy, painted a deep turquoise color, with tufted leather furniture that suited the Victorian feel of the house without being overly fussy, even with the throw pillows women all seemed to love.
She flipped a switch and turned on the gas fireplace, filling the room with a warm glow. It reminded Mason of the cabin, and what had happened last night.
“So, weekend went okay?” Tate asked as Avery handed him a beer and Nina a glass of wine.
“Went great, mostly,” Mason said, watching Avery. She blushed and avoided his gaze.
“Why are you blushing?”
“I’m hot because I’m next to the fire,” she said with a glare at them. “I’m forty-two, people. It’s called perimenopause.”
Whatever, angel eyes. You can’t stop thinking about my hand between your legs.
“What were you going to tell us before?” Tate asked him.
Mason shared a look with Avery. She lowered herself onto the loveseat opposite the easy chair he was in. “There was an incident last night.” She told them what had happened.
“Did you see the video footage?” Tate demanded, frowning.
She shot him an annoyed look, displaying that sharp edge to her that Mason had managed to soften. He loved that even more. “Of course I did. They couldn’t identify who it was, but they’re cooperating with the local cops in the investigation, and I’ll be checking for any updates.”
“Was it your ex?” Nina asked with a worried expression.
“No way. He doesn’t have the guts, or any reason to get back at me. I don’t know who it was.”
“His wife?”
“Doubt it,” Avery said.
A hard knot of anger burned in Mason’s gut that anyone would threaten her or want to hurt her. And he still wasn’t convinced it wasn’t her ex or the wife, no matter what she said. They hadn’t been in the reception room the entire time last night, and they easily could have gone to the cabin while he and Avery had been busy in the utility room.
“Anyway, I’m dealing with it, and whoever it was is far away from here. I’ll fill you in on everything later. Now tell us what you guys did in Coeur D’Alene,” Avery said.
They visited for the better part of an hour, then Tate motioned for Mason to follow him into the kitchen. Mason’s curiosity was piqued.
“What’s up?” he asked when they were alone.
“Did you notice anything at the wedding? Anyone watching her?” Tate said.
“No, except for her ex. He made sure he gave her a few jabs to the self-esteem.” It still pissed him off.
“You think he or his wife did it?”
“Not ruling it out. If it turns out he did, I’ll make him regret it.”
Tate’s eyebrows went up. “Wow, you sound protective of her all of a sudden.”
Yeah, because he was. And he also felt more possessive with her than he had with any other woman.
Mason grunted and shoved his hands into his pockets while Ric leaned against the front of his legs, gazing up at him. His dog freaking rocked. “He’s an arrogant fuckwad, and I’m glad she dumped his sorry ass, because she deserves a whole lot better than him.”
Tate laughed. “You’re preaching to the choir, buddy. Listen, I’ll go over everything with her tomorrow, see if we can generate any leads to follow up on.” He clapped a hand on the side of Mason’s shoulder. “So over the weekend I did a little digging of my own into the seller situation on the property.”
“And?”
“And Ray’s problems with his family go back at least a decade. Infighting over his father’s will and the distribution of assets. Let’s just say there’s no love lost between him and the others, but the seller assured me there was no problem on their end. Once the financing’s approved, the sale will go ahead without any issue.”
Some of the tension in him eased. “That’s good.”
“Yeah. Let’s call Brax and tell him the news.” He pulled out his cell and dialed up their buddy. “It’s four in the morning his time. He needs to get his lazy ass up.”
Mason propped a hip against the countertop and leaned close to Tate so their faces were in the shot when Braxton picked up a few moments later.
“What the hell,” their friend grumbled, rubbing a hand over his face as he lay in his bunk, his face barely visible in the dimness inside his barracks. “You guys know what fucking time it is here?”
“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty,” Mason said in a chipper voice. “We’ve got news.”
“Unless we won the lottery and I’m now set for life, go the hell away and let me sleep.”
“It’s almost as good,” Mason promised.
Mason listened as Tate filled Braxton in on the latest, but only part of his attention was on the conversation. The rest of it was thinking about Avery in the other room with Nina. Women liked to talk things out, and tended to tell their best friends everything.
He wished he could be a fly on the wall to find out what Avery was saying to Nina right now.
Chapter Eleven
Nina waited until the guys were in the kitchen before rounding on Avery. “So? What’s going on? Because that’s some serious sexual tension going on between you guys.”
Avery couldn’t smother a chuckle. Nina was adorable and a loyal friend. Avery couldn’t lie to her. She sighed, wondering where to begin or how to put her changing feelings into words. “He’s…different than I thought he was.”
Nina leaned forward more, hanging on Avery’s every word. “Different how?”
“He’s got layers.”
“Sexy layers?”
“Those too. But more… He’s got a lot more depth than I thought. He was good company. He was amazing with my family. They’re all in love with him. I’m dreading the moment I call to say we’re not together anymore.”
Nina smacked her on the knee. “Yeah, but what about you guys? What happened?”
“There’s chemistry,” she admitted. Insane, mind-melting chemistry, especially when he turned on the seduction.
“Hell yeah, there is,” Nina agreed, her eyes gleaming.
“Not that it matters, because nothing’s going to come of it. Too many caution flags for me to ignore.” Well, nothing more would come of it. While she loved Nina, she wasn’t going to share the intimate details of what had happened between them. That was private.
Nina nodded, her expression sobering. “He’s wounded inside. At least, that’s the impression I get from what Tate has told me.”
Aren’t we all? “Yes. And I can’t get involved with someone like that. Not to mention he’s now my tenant. If things got awkward, it would be bad, because even if he moved out, I’d still have to see him because of you guys.”
“I can understand that.”
Avery shrugged, even as an invisible weight filled her chest. “It’s not going anywhere, so don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried. You’ve got your head on straighter than anyone else I know. It’s just…I dunno, I guess I was hoping for better news.”
“Because you’re a hopeless romantic.” Avery must have some of that in her too, because that weight she felt was definitely disappointment. “Anyway, what’s going on with your work these days?” she asked to change the subject.
Nina brightened, becoming animated as she shared stories about her classes and a few of her students. Avery made a conscious effort to stay present and pay attention, but her mind kept circling back to Mason. Ignoring him wasn’t going to make the desire go away. Having him downstairs was a constant reminder of what she could have if she was willing to risk it.
He was wounded, but she had her own emotional baggage. A relationship with him was out of the question. But what if it was something else?
Maybe it could just be physical.
Uncertainty squirmed inside her as the thought formed. She wasn’t wired to have just a physical affair, but maybe in this instance she could make an exception. She couldn’t see Mason
objecting, and the idea was far too tantalizing for her to ignore.
Since the divorce, she’d shut her physical and emotional needs off, to protect herself. It would be smarter to go back to merely being his landlord, but it was a little late for that after what they’d done last night.
Maybe she’d been cautious for long enough. Because from what Mason had already shown her, risking more heartbreak might be worth it to have him for even a little while.
****
“Survey’s complete, and everything looks good. We should hear from the bank in the next day or two,” Tate was telling Braxton, who still looked half-asleep on the phone screen.
Mason had steeled himself prior to the call, but it was still hard to see his buddy over there in the thick of the action while he was here. It made him feel like more of an outsider. As if he was trapped on the other side of a window, looking into the world he’d once been a part of and was now barred from.
He told himself to get a grip. The physical and emotional trauma of what he’d gone through made it impossible to be part of that world anymore. He knew it logically. But Jesus, he missed it like hell. Missed what Brax still had. A sense of purpose, being part of an elite unit and being able to make a difference in the world.
He shifted his attention from the phone to the living room. From his vantage point in the kitchen he could just see Avery’s profile as she leaned forward to talk to Nina, the firelight gleaming on her red-gold hair.
She was so damn beautiful. He wasn’t ready to let her go. Far from it.
The threat against her still weighed on his mind. Being downstairs from her was a relief. If anyone tried to target her here, they would have to get through him first, and that wasn’t happening. Mason would do whatever it took to keep her safe.
What was she telling Nina? Anything about him? He’d bet she’d left out the best parts of the weekend. He didn’t think she would disclose that kind of thing, even to her best friend.
What was really going on in that pretty head? She felt something, he knew she did, and it only made the strange new yearning inside him stronger. He couldn’t wait for Tate and Nina to leave because he wanted to talk to Avery alone again. He wasn’t ready to back away, he wanted her more than ever. He wanted to be with her, to be part of her life and be the one she turned to for whatever she needed.
He’d already managed to get partially past her walls. Now he needed to get all the way inside.
“Yo, Mase, you still with us?”
Mason jerked his attention back to the phone to stare at Braxton. “Huh? Yeah.”
“Tate just said everything looks like a go once we get word from the bank, so it’s pretty much a waiting game now.”
“Yeah, that’s—” He broke off at the sound of a familiar alarm in the background. His body tensed, and in his mind, he was right there with Braxton, reflexively reaching for his own rifle as his buddy rolled out of his bunk.
“Gotta go,” Brax said.
“Stay safe, man,” Tate said just as the screen went blank.
Mason couldn’t get a word out. His heart was pounding, his throat dry as a chaotic barrage of memories hit him. Ric sat up and pressed against Mason’s legs, staring up at him questioningly, sensing something was wrong.
Mason walked away, hurrying into the bathroom and locked the door. Ric whined and scratched at the other side to be let in. Mason kept the door shut as he stood there in the darkness, not wanting any of the others to know something was wrong.
Shit, his hands were shaking. His body was convinced he was back over there in the middle of a combat zone, enduring the incoming fire with Braxton.
He closed his eyes and took slow, deep breaths until the worst had passed. Opening them, he flipped on the light and ran the hot water. Catching sight of himself in the mirror, he stopped.
He looked pale, with stark shadows under his eyes. Partly because he was tired, but that didn’t explain the haunted look in them. Hopefully tonight he’d get a solid sleep, because he needed one. Insomnia and exhaustion always made his symptoms worse.
When he had everything back under control, he splashed some water on his face, dried it off with the hand towel, then opened the door. Ric swished his tail back and forth, his ears perked as he looked up at Mason. “Good boy,” Mason told him, scratching his fluffy ears. Ric loved him no matter how fucked up he was. Mason tried every day to be worthy of it.
They entered the kitchen just as Nina and Tate were getting ready to leave. Avery stood in the living room doorway, her long, lithe body outlined by the flickering firelight.
“Call me first thing when you hear from the bank,” Mason told Tate, pretending nothing had happened.
“Will do. Have a good night.” He and Nina left.
Avery closed and locked the front door behind them, then turned to face him, her gaze sweeping his face. “You look tired.”
“I’m all right.” He turned away and went back to the kitchen to take care of the glasses and bottles.
“I’ll do those.”
“It’s no big deal.” He needed a minute to fully come back to the present, and he wanted the excuse to spend more time with Avery, even if it was just being here in the kitchen with her.
He washed the crystal wineglasses by hand, giving them to her one by one to dry. Wiping his hands on a dishtowel, he watched as she lifted up on tiptoe to put the glasses away in a high cabinet, the stretch making the hem of her top ride up to expose several inches of flat, smooth stomach.
Mason moved toward her like he’d been drawn there by a magnet, powerless to resist the pull. He was all twisted up inside, fighting the blackness just under the surface, waiting to drag him under. He didn’t want to go down to his suite or be alone yet. Avery was the only one who could push back the darkness around him.
She closed the cupboard and came down from tiptoe, catching his stare. A silent tension took hold, buzzing deep in his belly.
He should keep his distance now, but he was too damn selfish to allow it. He craved her like he craved air to breathe. She made him feel alive again in a way he hadn’t in years.
Mason closed the distance between them with a single step, taking her face in his hands as he backed her up against the counter and brought his mouth down on hers. Her tiny gasp of surprise gave way to a quiet moan that made every muscle in his body go taut. Her arms wound around him, pulling him flush to her.
The darkness in him clawed at the surface, wanting out. Wanting Avery. To consume her. Make her his in every way. Strip her right here and lift her onto the counter so he could drape her legs over his shoulders and get her off with his mouth. Then carry her to her room, pin her to the bed and do it all over again, plunge into her until she was sobbing his name, her nails digging into his skin.
He pushed it back, desperate for the light she radiated. He wanted inside her body and heart. Craved it with a desperation that shook him.
Her arms were tight around him, her fingers pressing into his back while their tongues twined and teased. Mason rocked the ridge of his erection against her lower belly, a low groan rumbling up from his chest.
Stop. Stop this now, or you’ll lose her.
He didn’t know where the thought came from, but it was loud and clear in his head. If he pushed too hard, she would run, push him away and withdraw her light from him.
That stopped him cold.
With one last hungry kiss he forced himself to stop and lift his head. He stared down into those smoldering golden eyes, both of them breathing hard. Both of them wanting more.
Summoning all his strength, he let her go and stepped back. “Sleep well, angel eyes.”
He left without looking back, but once he was down in the suite with Ric, his predicament became clear. That kiss had solidified what he’d instinctively known from the beginning.
There was no way in hell he could bear to lose her now.
Chapter Twelve
The quiet, residential street a few minutes from downtown Rifle Creek wa
s empty of traffic when Shannon turned onto it in her rental car. At eight-thirty in the morning on a Monday, everybody was either at work or busy with their weekday routines. Perfect for her purposes.
According to her research, Avery’s house was halfway up this road. She slowed as she approached it. A red-brick Victorian, with a tiny front porch and a turret on the right-hand side.
The houses on either side of it were close, but not so close that you could reach through a window and shake hands with the neighbors. Both neighbors might be retired because their vehicles were still parked in the driveway.
Impatience swelled inside her. She was in a piss-poor mood and tired after a shitty night’s sleep.
She missed Mike. It had been over a week since she’d last heard from him, and she wasn’t sure if it was because they’d suspended his email or phone privileges, or what.
She wanted to see him as soon as she was done here in Rifle Creek, so she could tell him in person what she’d done. He’d be so proud, to know that the woman he loved was willing to even the odds a bit on his behalf. She was thinking of going after other targets after this too. Figure out a way to hurt everyone who’d put him behind bars.
Shannon stared up at the house as the resentment swelled. She couldn’t target Avery here, it was too dangerous. The woman was a cop. But Shannon’s background had given her a lot of useful tools to draw from in this situation.
She was great at lying and blending in. Just look at what she’d done with old Ray in such a short time. He’d spilled his guts to her about everything going on in his whackadoodle family, and vented all his rage and hatred about this Mason guy who had shacked up with Avery.
The driveway was empty, and there wasn’t a garage, so both Avery and Mason must be gone for the day. She could drive around and find an inconspicuous place to park, then double back on foot and case the house more thoroughly.
As the thought circled through her brain, she became aware of a slight tingle at the base of her neck. Glancing to her left, she glimpsed an elderly woman standing in the front yard of a brightly-painted Victorian house across the street from Avery’s.
