by Eden Summers
“Show me.” He held out his hand.
Without pause, she handed it over, letting him read the message for himself. With every threatening word toward Sidney, his anger increased. Then he scrolled lower, and the images sent him over the edge. He clenched his free hand and turned his back, not wanting her to see how close he was to slamming his fist into the marble counter.
She’d been through enough. Hell, he’d been through enough, and he was well aware his struggles had been nothing in comparison to hers. This had to stop. He didn’t care who he had to pay, or how much. Someone was going to help him find the asshole who’d done this. Then he’d fuck their shit up…in a non-literal kind of way.
“Oh my god.”
His stomach hollowed at the hysteria in her tone, and he swung toward her.
“Your dogs!” Her eyes were wide, her hand hovering near her neck. “I called to them in the early morning. They didn’t come. I haven’t seen them since we went out last night.”
His body broke out in a cold sweat, his limbs momentarily freezing as she dashed for the glass door leading outside.
“No!” He snapped out of the panicked free fall, and lunged forward to grab her hips. “You need to stay inside.” His focus was no longer on the here and now. His imagination had taken over, running wild with the possibility of what some deranged fucker could’ve done to his dogs. He should’ve noticed straight away. They were always eager to greet him with their snotty noses making germ filled patterns on the glass. This morning, he’d been too caught up in the thought of Sidney to notice anything in the outside world.
“Call the police.” He pushed past her and opened the door. “We need to catch this asshole.”
He slammed the door behind him and was instantly surrounded by unnatural silence. There was no rush of padded footfalls, no panting breaths or barks of joy. The morning was clear. Bright sunshine warming the frosted grass while the chill in the air froze his naked chest.
“Shadow! Willow!” His throat restricted, cutting off his air. They weren’t here. Or they weren’t capable of coming to his call. “Willow! Shadow!”
His lungs began to ache from the breath he held. The property was large, and the girls were known to go crazy chasing wild rabbits into the distant corners, but they never ignored him. The far off bound of excited footfalls always followed his shout.
He lunged down the steps from the deck to the lawn in one leap, and broke into a jog. His toes began to sting with pins and needles from the freezing ground, and his ears filled with static. On instinct, he headed for the far back corner, skirting the leafy trees, ignoring the sharp whip of small branches against his chest.
Please. They had to be all right. “Will—” Something barreled into his ankles from the side, sending his feet out from under him. He toppled to the ground, sliding across the dewy grass, and had to claw at the dirt to stop his momentum. He scrambled to his knees, his heart pounding against his ribs right before his girls set upon him with wet noses and sloppy tongues.
Jesus fucking Christ. He fell back onto the wet grass, closing his eyes in thanks as his dogs licked the side of his face. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
“Come here.” He sat up and hauled Shadow to his side, scruffing her hair. “Stupid dogs, you scared the shit out of me.” He ruffled the fur behind her ears and lifted her jaw to look in her playful brown eyes.
“Oh, fuck.” He dropped his hold, focusing on the dark copper moisture staining his palm. The scent of foul meat entered his nose, and he had to swallow over the bile rising in his throat. Blood. Both their muzzles were covered in it.
He wiped his palm over the grass, then stood, pointing a subtle finger to the sky in an order for them to sit. As their tails hit the ground, he scanned the bottom of the stone fence. From his position over thirty feet away, he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. No dead body. No mass of bunny fur.
His neck tingled, the sensation of someone hovering over him making his scalp prickle. “Come on.” He jogged to the house, not wanting to risk having his girls outside while he did a proper search.
“Thank goodness.” Sidney’s smile was wide as she raced toward him from the deck. “I’m so glad they’re all right.”
“Stay back.” He grabbed the dog’s collars before Sidney could run her delicate fingers through their fur. “They’re covered in blood.”
She glanced at him in disbelief before kneeling down, visually searching the dogs with a troubled brow. When her gaze sought his again, he had to fight the urge to yell in frustration. Something inside him couldn’t cope with fragile Sidney. He was aching all over, consumed with fury and the need to protect her. This side of her made him weak, and he didn’t like it.
“I thought I told you to stay inside,” he growled, unable to keep his shit together. Christ. He was a wreck. He couldn’t change the past, couldn’t save her from the present, and he sure as shit didn’t have a handle on the future. “Get back in the house.”
“Why? Whose blood is this?” She rose to her feet, scanning the yard. “Is someone still out there?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s probably blood from a wild rabbit. I didn’t see anything, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe.” He yanked on Shadow’s collar, trying to curb her excitement over Sidney.
“Safety is greater in numbers.” Her tone clearly announced she didn’t approve of being told what to do.
His little kitten was gaining her claws, and he didn’t need the added drama. With a creative crime scene image already in his mind, he didn’t want to have to worry about her safety too. “They could have a gun—”
“Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure my lady bits can deflect bullets with the same precision as your overused asset. Whatever you need to do, we can do it together.”
“Overused asset?” He glowered at her, ignoring the gentle curves of one tremendously feisty woman, before jerking his head toward the house. “Could you open the doors to the laundry? I want to put the girls in there while I take a look around.”
“Wouldn’t it be best to wait for the police?” She crossed her arms, making the material of her blouse tighten over her breasts.
He couldn’t stop his focus from straying to her chest, so he didn’t bother hiding it. If she wanted to get pissy, he couldn’t be blamed for lacking the restraint to act the same way. “It would be best if you waited inside and stopped hasslin’ me.”
He’d physically shove her through the door if he had to. Anything to get her inside while the hair on the back of his neck still tingled in warning.
Her eyes flashed, and he held in a smirk as he led his dogs to the door. Like always, the annoyed expression on her pretty face was like a shot of Viagra through his veins. Although right now it was a little less potent due to the smell of stale blood on his hand and the threat of someone watching them.
“Come on, kitten. Please.”
She quirked a brow, her arms still crossed firmly over her chest as she stalked her way to the door. “I’m happy to oblige if you stay inside until the police arrive.” She lowered the handle and then pushed the door wide for him.
“Are you trying to protect me?” He grinned when she rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ve got big muscles to protect us both.”
“And an even bigger ego to hide behind.”
“I’m not hiding.”
“No?” She stepped over the threshold, holding the door open for the dogs to let themselves in. “And here I was thinking that’s exactly what you’ve been doing for the past two years.” The side of her lips tilted in a smirk.
Damn it! She’d stolen his trademark. His only solace was knowing he was more accomplished at the taunting expression. She hadn’t mastered the all-encompassing arrogance because the weight of exhaustion in her eyes hit him like microphone feedback.
“I have nothing to hide, Sid. Any questions you have, I’m willing to answer.”
“Good.” She closed the door behind him and clicked the lock
. “Once the police leave, we’re going to have a lot to discuss.”
SIDNEY SHUFFLED INTO Mason’s living room and huddled into the corner of his sofa. She couldn’t stay in the dining area with the open view to the backyard. Although the windows were tinted to block anyone seeing inside, she still felt the eyes of the world on her. Lack of sleep was making her paranoid, and the added internal battle over Mason between her mind and heart was beginning to make her hysterical.
Whenever she looked at him now, the man from the past stared back at her. The one she’d been infatuated with. The one who stole her heart.
It stung.
The pain tore apart her chest and made her limbs too heavy to move. All she wanted to do was crawl into a ball on his soft, white leather and cry until the huge pile of questions miraculously answered themselves.
She didn’t want to spend hours watching his lips as he explained the past. She couldn’t stand the bickering between them. It made her want him more. Each taunt fueled the need to wrap her hand around his neck and pull his mouth to hers.
Stupid ovaries.
Pushing to her feet, she began to pace. Her cell vibrated in her pocket, and she pulled it out to find a text message from Sean. Leah told me the news. I’m already on my way.
She smiled and typed her reply—Thank you. If she couldn’t have Justin beside her to help her through this battle, Sean was the perfect replacement.
Just as she began dialing her best friend’s number, she noticed the unopened email icon at the top of her screen. The tiny little square made her heart race. It could be nothing. Or it could be another threat. Cocking her head, she listened for Mason, hoping to hear his approaching footsteps. His proximity wouldn’t change the outcome, yet she wanted him close nonetheless.
“Come on, Sid. Open the damn thing.” She didn’t usually skip down the path of delirium by speaking to herself. Today was special.
Navigating to the email program, she opened her inbox. The same unwanted sender sat at the top of the screen. The dark X mocking her. Subject: Nice blouse.
“Mason.” His name whispered from her lips as she swung around to face the empty hall. Her eyes were burning, her chest throbbing with uncontrollable beats, and still she couldn’t hear him.
“Mason.” This time her voice carried through the room, echoing off the walls. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn’t cooperate. And where would she go? There could be a reason why the house was deathly silent.
“Mason!” she screamed. She was losing her grip, letting the tether to her sanity slither through her hands. Darkness closed in on her and the thump, thump, thump of her heartbeat grew louder in her ears.
“Sidney!”
She released a ragged breath at his voice and raced from the room. He caught her in the hall, an arm around her waist, swinging her to a halt.
“What’s going on?”
His gaze frantically searched her face, stabbing her repeatedly with the affection she’d been denied for an eternity. She needed this. She needed him. There was no explanation, no rhyme or reason, all she knew was the desire and pull she currently had toward him was too strong to ignore. She didn’t want to lose it.
“Promise me we’ll work this out.”
At the height of her anxiety and fear, all she wanted was an assurance that tomorrow would be brighter. After the latest scandal was over, she couldn’t go back to a cold house with a cold heart. Something had to accompany her, or she’d never survive. She needed him. Or at least the hope of him. Not a relationship, she wasn’t entirely delusional. Maybe friendship. A tiny fragment of what they once had to give her optimism to regain her life.
“Everything will work out,” he murmured, maintaining his hold around her waist. “Is that what all the screaming was about?” He brushed the hair back from her face, still focusing on her with intent.
“No.” She shook her head, fighting the urge to sink into him. “There was another email. They commented on my blouse.”
His lips pulled into a straight line. “They’re still here.” It wasn’t a question, only he didn’t share her concern over knowing someone had been watching them moments earlier. He was furious—his eyes feral, his jaw clenched. “It’s the paparazzi. I’d bet my life on it.”
“Why do you say that?” She wasn’t convinced, not in the slightest. “Why would they threaten me? Or go to all this trouble?”
“A big payout. Someone must have gone digging into my past to look for a story. They would’ve found the police report and know I didn’t leak the tape, so they’re exploiting the situation. Who knows, they’ve probably been sitting on the opportunity to create hype for a while, and you returning to Richmond is their perfect chance to earn a huge fee on exclusive images.”
His crazy notion took away some of the focus from her anxiety. Time hadn’t lessened his creative ideas. She straightened, taking a step back. “That makes no sense.”
“It makes perfect sense. They have the ammunition. They’re just poking a little. Trying to scare us into a story they can manipulate into making world-wide news.”
***
Mason watched his theory sink into the darkened depths of Sidney’s eyes. She was trying to believe him, even though he didn’t believe himself. Sometimes his fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants routine was epic. This time? Epic failure. He had no clue who was doing this or why.
“How long did the police say they were going to be?”
She glanced up at him from under dark lashes, her gaze holding him captive and making his heart thud. His tough girl, his professional, strong-willed woman was crumbling before him. Her eyes began to water, as she sucked in a ragged breath. “Not long.” Her voice wavered.
“Hey.” He cupped her cheek, stroking his thumb over the softness of her skin. Maybe he shouldn’t act hasty in his vow to catch the scumbag responsible for the emails. Sidney was in his arms, after all. She was warm, and willing, and just the right mix of vulnerability and aggression to make him never want to let her go. “It’ll be all right. Whoever is doing this will be caught soon enough.”
“It’s not just the emails,” she whispered.
She didn’t need to clarify for him to know what she meant. Things between them were…crazy, to say the least.
“We’ll work it out.”
She was so fragile, the depths of her hazel irises glistening back at him. Her throat convulsed with a swallow as her gaze dipped lower, brushing past his mouth before her tongue peeked out to moisten her bottom lip. Fuck. She wanted to kiss him. And there was no way he could allow it to happen. Now wasn’t the time to set his blood to fire or his dick to stone.
When he kissed her, and he sure as hell was going to kiss her, tears wouldn’t be welled in her eyes, and her limbs wouldn’t be shuddering in his grasp. Well, not unless she was at the pinnacle of the most monumental orgasm of her life. And arrogance aside, he had the skills to accomplish the task.
“Come on.” He tugged her hand, leading her into the kitchen. “I better call Leah back.”
“Oh, I forgot, Sean is on his way.”
He concentrated on the warm and gentle hold of his hand, not wanting to clench his grip. “You called him?” He kept his tone level, determined not to display any jealousy.
“No. He already knew. He sent me a message and told me he was coming over.”
Fan-tas-tic. On cue to stop the awkwardness, his cell began to ring from the kitchen counter “I better answer that.” Reluctantly, he dropped his hold and strode forward to swipe the phone off the counter. “Shit.” He winced at the caller ID.
“What’s wrong?”
“My mother. She must’ve heard the news too.”
Sidney’s eyes widened. “How?”
“Pick a snitch, any snitch—there’s Leah, Sean, my sister, if she’s been searching the Internet this morning…” He connected the call and raised it to his ear. There was no point ignoring her. Like a hurricane, you could shut the windows and doors, the fucker was strong enough to fly throug
h whatever the hell it wanted to—the same as his mother.
“We’re fine, Mom. There’s no need to come over.”
“Mason Gregory Lynch, of course we’re coming over. I almost had a heart attack when my inbox started to fill up with emails about you. Why haven’t you called?”
Because, stupidly, I thought you’d quit hovering once I reached my thirties. This wasn’t the first time Google Alerts had come back to bite him in the ass. He never should’ve shown her how to set the fucking notifications so she could keep track of him online. “We? As in you and Toni?”
“Yes. She’s right behind me.”
“Fuckin’ hell,” he muttered. “The last thing we need is the two of you out here making the situation into more than it is.” He was thirty-five years old, for fuck’s sake.
“Oh, sweetie, I think the last thing you need is my slipper clad foot up your ass, and that’s exactly what you’re going to get if you don’t drop the attitude. I’m your mother. It’s my job to come running when you need me.”
He scrubbed a hand down his face, already anticipating Sidney’s discomfort if his mother showed. Once, the two of them had been close. They would gang up on him over coffee in this very kitchen. A thirty year age gap hadn’t stopped them from becoming close friends. The dissolution of that connection had been yet another result of the sex scandal.
“Mom, I love you to death, but we don’t need you here right now.” He turned, sensing Sidney behind him and found her pointing at the video panel beside the fridge, right before the intercom buzzer sounded. Sean’s pickup was on screen. “Let him in,” he mouthed.
Sidney pressed the release on the gate before turning her nervous gaze to him.
“We’re two minutes away,” his mom continued.
Great. All he needed now was a fucking partridge in a pear tree.
“Do you want me to close the gate?” Sidney whispered.
He gave a nod and turned away again, listening to his mom ramble about the responsibilities of a parent and how her duties were a lifetime commitment.
