But that meant she needed to be certain Dustin wasn’t going to get himself killed. She glanced at the wine in her glass. How had Mason talked her into that? She’d intended to have some tea and then sit up to work, but here she was relaxing in front of a fire. She twirled a strand of hair. If he could talk her into this, she should be able to make a dent in his determination to make Dustin a fighter.
Toying with the idea, she glanced down at her sweats. She should have put on something tight, or something that showed more skin. Yeah, it was fighting a bit low to use the attraction sparking between them as a weapon, but this was Dustin’s life at stake. She also had an advantage—she knew a lot more about Mason than he knew about her.
Dustin’s phone calls had been full of ‘Mason does this’ or ‘Mason says that’ and Avery knew Mason wasn’t just single, but was also out of fighting right now due to an injury he’d taken. And hadn’t he even told her a good fighter analyzed the competition? Well, Mason was now in the ring with her, but it wasn’t some stupid title at stake. No, it was Dustin’s future.
Standing, she shimmied out of her pants. The sweat shirt hung down long enough to act more like a dress, and frankly the warmth from the fire felt good on her skin. She giggled and slapped a hand over her mouth as she sat down. Maybe the wine was going straight to her head.
Coming over to her, Mason plopped down on the couch opposite her, his wine glass in hand. He glanced at her legs and his eyebrows lifted. She smoothed a hand over her bare calf. “It was getting hot in here.”
“I’ll say.” Mason crossed his legs. “So tell me about the work you do?”
Avery shifted so that she flashed a little more thigh. She saw Mason’s stare rivet on her skin and then he took a long drink of wine and tried to focus only on her face. She smiled. “I actually work for several different companies, handling IT.”
“I what?”
“You’re as bad as Dustin. Computer and network stuff—I keep systems running. I also handle backups and security.”
He shook his head. “Sounds complicated. If I can turn it on, I can handle it, but that’s about the size of my skill with electronics. How’d you end up working with computers?”
“Do you mean what’s a girl like me doing in a guy’s field?”
“Nothing that sexist. I get my ass thumped regularly playing Assassin’s Creed against girls.”
Avery laughed. “I’m more of a Mario World fan. But I love a good racing game, too.”
“Is that what you do you in your spare time?” He shifted again on the couch, as if he was having trouble finding a comfortable spot.
Avery lifted her glass. “Any more wine?”
Standing, he headed into the kitchen and came back with the bottle. Avery moved to stand in front of the fire. She held up her glass for him to serve her. She also noticed he’d switched from wine to water—was she getting to him? Guilt tugged at her for using his interest in her like this. She bit her lower lip. But this was about Dustin—wasn’t it?
Mason sat down on the couch again and Avery sat next to him. She noticed that he seemed to be trying to hold himself back. He clutched his water glass tight and shifted to put a pillow between them.
“So, if Dustin was here, what would you be doing tonight?” She mentally chided herself for asking, but she needed to hear him tell her that he wouldn’t have a date with a local girl. Dustin had said Mason wasn’t seeing anyone, but she wanted to make sure she wasn’t going after another woman’s man.
Mason lifted a shoulder. “Pretty much what we’ve been doing, but we’d have on some fight tapes. Have you ever seen Dustin fight?”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t…it…I just couldn’t.” She shivered and stood to move closer to the fire.
Mason watched her, his eyes hooded now and his smile gone. “You should. Your brother has talent. He could really go to the top.”
Pulling in a breath, Avery moved back to sit next to Mason. She pulled the pillow away from between them and tucked it behind her back. She needed Mason to drop his guard, to start seeing things from her side—she needed him to really listen to her worries.
And she didn’t think that was going to happen unless he cared at least a little for her. Setting her wine glass on a side table by a lamp, she turned to him and put her fingers on his arm. “Someone like that Shamus guy would kill Dustin—I’ve seen the previews from his last fight and it looked brutal.”
Mason shifted. “Yeah, that was a rough one. The referee should have stopped the fight way before he did. But the producers probably wanted the fight to go at least two rounds. The crowds can get nasty if things end way too soon.”
“Isn’t that kind of like fixing the fight?” Avery shifted and moved closer. Her sweatshirt rode up. She saw Mason glance down at her legs.
“Uh…well, not really. Fixing means you fix who’s going to win. You want the fight to be about uncertainty—hey, isn’t that life?”
She shook her head. “There’s uncertain and then there are stupid risks.”
He smiled. “Like jumping out of a plane? Would you want to keep Dustin from taking up sky diving? Or scuba diving? Going down under the water? I mean there are sharks there, too. Look, Dustin is bright most of the time, quick with his fists, and he loves the sport. Taking that away from him would be criminal. But what gives him an edge is that he wants to learn. He’s not just in it for the quick glory. He could be one of the greats.”
Avery sat up. “You’re not going to help me talk him out of this are you? You really love fighting—you don’t see the danger in it.”
“Oh, I do. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a fighter. I’ve made it my life. There’s something inside me that drives me to pit my skills against that of another man in the ring. It’s not about the fame or the money for me, either.”
She shifted so that she sat closer. “Great speech, but does Dustin really feel the same way, or is he trying to copy and impress you? He talks about you, you know. A lot.”
Mason’s eyes narrowed. “Are you buttering me up?”
Cheeks warm, she shook her head. “It doesn’t mean I’m okay with what you’re doing or Dustin fighting. I’m trying to understand. I…” She put her hand on his thigh. “Maybe if I knew more about what’s the attraction for him, well it might help me.”
And maybe she could figure out some way around that pull to get Dustin to quit.
Mason licked his lips. But he didn’t move away. “I like the idea of you and your brother in a rational sit down talk. I mean, he’s not the great communicator, but if you two could come at this without heating everything up, things might…”
“Might what?” Avery leaned closer. “Might change.”
Mason’s eyes darkened. He leaned closer to her. She could smell the wine on his breath. She would taste it if he kissed her. “Might…” he said the word trailing off into a hoarse whisper.
Avery’s pulse skipped to a faster beat. She felt caught in her own trap, drawn in by Mason’s eyes, which seemed more blue than gray now. She leaned closer until her breast brushed his arm. She saw his throat work as he swallowed.
He leaned closer and she knew he was going to kiss her. Panic settled in her stomach, along with a slow burn of need. She wanted to feel his lips on hers. She needed his arms around her. Suddenly, this wasn’t about Dustin or fighting, or anything except the sizzle between them.
A musical tone rang out and Mason pulled back. He stood and pulled a cell phone from his pocket. He didn’t even glance at it, but just said, “I need to take this call.”
Lips pressed tight, Avery watched him walk out of the room, leaving her frustrated—and certain she could get Mason to change his mind. But first she needed him to care about her more than he did about anything else. That might save Dustin’s life.
Avery waited for half an hour before she gave up on Mason. She thought about getting dressed to hunt him down, but if she had spooked him that was that. Or maybe he really had just needed to take that call. Either
way, she didn’t relish the idea of going back out in the snow and the dark. She pulled on her sweats, let the fire die down and dug out her laptop. The Wi-Fi in the cabin was great—fast and steady. She logged on and set to catching up on work.
An hour later she’d done everything that needed to be done. Systems were all secure, files in place. She glanced at her laptop clock. Shutting down the system, she stretched and stood. She needed some sleep. Getting up from the chair, she left her laptop on the coffee table.
And then Mason stepped into the cabin.
Suddenly the place seemed smaller, warmer…brighter. Mason gave her a smile, but something looked off. That smile seemed stiff and it didn’t reach his eyes. Her throat tightened. “What’s wrong? Is it Dustin?”
Chapter Nine
Mason glanced at her, his eyebrows shooting up. Where did all this worry of hers come from? “Do you always assume the worst?” he asked.
She sat down again. “Something’s bothering you?” Her mouth took on a stubborn pout.
Walking past her, Mason threw two logs on the fire. Snow dusted his shoulders. He brushed it off. “I’m cold. You’re probably exhausted. Do you need anything before turning in for the night?” A kiss, a hug, a good lay? His mouth twisted at the turn his thoughts had taken. She’d put on her sweats again, but the memory of legs that went on forever teased him.
She folded her hands together. “Does this have to do with that phone call?”
“Okay, there’s the tenacity I’ve admired in Dustin. Must be a family trait. And, kind of. That was Dustin.”
Avery stiffened. Anger hardened her voice. “And? You didn’t think I’d want to talk to him—or he didn’t want to talk to me.”
“He called from a friend’s phone, and had to drive down the mountain to get any signal at all.”
She stood up and faced him. “When is he coming back? Is he coming back?”
“Kid’s going to take a few days to get his head straight. He knows his ability to train right now is paramount to him winning his upcoming fight.”
Letting out a breath, Avery slumped onto the couch. “Meaning he didn’t want to talk to me.” She brushed at her eyes. “Now I’m feeling like some kind of monster.”
Coming over to her, he sat down and put an arm over her shoulders. He couldn’t leave her like this, hating herself, thinking that her brother hated her. “No, he doesn’t. Look, you’re beat. I can see that in your eyes.”
She swiped at them and gave a shaky laugh. “Meaning I look awful!”
He touched a finger to her cheek. “Not awful. You look—okay, you’d probably look great no matter what, but I’m used to staring at fighters and seeing if they’re worn down or not getting enough of what they need. If you were training here, I’d have you on a high protein diet to put some muscle on you and a solid eight hours of sleep every night.”
She gave another watery laugh and Mason shook his head. “Don’t tell me—nightmares?”
She shrugged. But she didn’t move away from his hold. He liked her close like this, snuggled up almost. “I…I do worry. A lot. And now Dustin doesn’t even want to see me. I know I’m…I’m driving him away, aren’t I?”
“I want you to know, I do get where you’re coming from. I’ve never lost one of my brothers, but hell, if I did…we’re close and I can guess what kind of hole that leaves in your life. But life is…it’s all dangerous.” Mason hugged her closer. “Maybe your brother, Edward, made a bad decision and it cost him. But Dustin’s not the same guy. Yeah, he’s young and sure he’s stupid at times, but he’s careful, believe it or not. And he’s training with some of the best in the business.”
Avery looked at him, her eyes still brimming with tears. She did look beat, with shadows under her eyes and her skin pale and seeming stretched too tight. “I really, really want to believe what you’re saying, but when I think about Edward and being in that hospital waiting room when—”
“So don’t think about it.”
“And how do I shut that off?” she asked.
He shook his head. He knew just one answer. Lowering his mouth to hers, he kissed her. Just a soft touch of his lips to hers, a brush of his mouth over the soft sweetness of hers. He tasted a touch of wine on her lips—and something even sweeter.
She gave a soft moan and he pulled her closer, letting the kiss deepen. Some part of his brain was yelling at him not to do this, to stop, but she tasted so damn good. She tasted like summer. She tasted warm. She tasted a lot like heaven. He didn’t want to stop, but he got hold of himself at last and pulled back.
She put her head on his shoulder and leaned into him. “I still need to talk to Dustin,” she murmured.
He gave a small laugh. “Yeah, I know. Look, I warned him that if he doesn’t have the luxury of taking anything more than a day off his training. He’s going to be back—or if he’s not, maybe you’ll get what you want and he’ll quit fighting.”
Sitting up, she pulled away and looked at him. “Do you think that’s why I’m here? To just keep him from training here? It’s not…look I want this to be his decision, too. I don’t want to drive him underground, like you said.”
“Yeah, if he does that, I’ll go drag his sorry ass out of that kind of mess. Now go get some sleep will you?” Mason asked
She gave a nod—and a yawn. He wanted to reach out and drag her back into his arms. But that wasn’t smart. It was one thing to share a kiss...if he kept that up, they were heading to a lot more than kissing.
Standing, Avery turned and reached a hand out. She touched his shoulder. “Thanks for at least trying to understand.”
He gave a nod. “Come along, angel. Let’s get you in bed before you pass out on me.” Mason stood. He took her hand and pulled her along to her bedroom. Holding open the door he leaned on it and asked, “Can you take it from here?”
Avery blushed. She looked adorable with her eyes at half mast and her hair rumpled. She gave him a sleepy smile. “I’ve got this. Night.”
Mason started to close her door, but stopped. “Oh, we run at eight every morning. And that is rain, snow, sun or mud. If you want to join us, be ready a few minutes before. It’d be good for you to get out and work off some of those worries.”
Avery wrinkled her nose. “I hated that type of physical exercise. You want to talk Zumba classes, swimming, or tennis, I’m there, but running…that’s just not my thing.”
Mason laughed. “Oh, come on. Woods. Pines. Great for your legs!”
“Yeah, and I’m taking two steps to everyone else’s one. I’ll just see you when you get back.”
Mason shook his head and pulled the door shut. “Sleep well, Avery. And wake me if you need anything.” He headed across the hall for his own room—and thanked everything she was too tired to realize he was staying in the cabin tonight.
Chapter Ten
She stood in the middle of a sterile hallway, bright fluorescent lights hurting her eyes. She turned to search for a doorway that would lead her out, but only saw walls. Urgency pushed at her. She needed to get out of the hallway. Her chest tightened and her heartbeat turned into a loud pounding.
No…the pounding was a fist hitting flesh and bone. She turned again and saw a dark ring. The man in the ring stared up at her, blood dripping down into his eyes and from his fingers. She gave a cry. It was Edward—only it wasn’t.
His face seemed all bone and decaying flesh. He swung and she saw him hit another man. The man’s head flew back. He hit the ground and his head rolled to the side, his blue-gray eyes open and staring and blank, accusing her for not helping him. Edward turned and started to walk toward her.
She screamed.
***
Mason jolted awake. The scream echoed through the small cabin. His heart rate tripled. What the hell? Jumping out of bed, he slammed his toe into the bedpost, cursed, and ran for Avery’s room. Had a bear gotten in there?
He pushed open the door and slapped at the lights. The light on the night table came on. Avery la
y face down, tangled in the sheets and blankets. Mason glanced around, but he couldn’t see a threat. Heading to her side, he touched her shoulder. “Avery?”
She sat up. She’d taken off the sweat shirt and a thin tank top clung to her sweat-dampened skin. She glanced around, eyes wide and confused. Grabbing her shoulders, he sat down on the edge of the bed. “What was it? Nightmares?”
She blinked and pushed a hand into her tangled hair. Her eyes glistened with tears. She bit her lower lip and nodded. She looked young and lost. He pulled her into his arms and she clung to him, her body still shaking.
“Sorry. I…I’m not like this every night.” She sniffled. She wouldn’t meet his stare and he could guess she must be embarrassed she had woken him.
He glimpsed bare legs and pink panties—so the pants earlier must have been meant as a distraction or as armor against him. He smiled. He liked the bare legs, but he had to admit, he didn’t mind the cartoon characters, either.
Untangling himself from her, he headed into the bathroom and came back with a glass of water. He found her sitting up with the covers up to her chin. He handed her the glass of water. “Drink.” She did—and without giving him any grief. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, he said, “Must have been some dream. I used to have one—had it before every fight—where I was falling off a cliff. Woke up on the floor every morning. My brothers starting laying out mats for me.”
Avery didn’t smile, but merely nodded at the story. “Sorry I woke you up. I’ll be fine now.”
“Will you?” Mason asked. “What—are you thinking you’ll get up now? Work? How about you just talk about it?”
“Thanks, but no thanks.”
“Now you sound just like Dustin.” He brushed a fingertip over the bruising beneath her eyes. “When was the last time you got a full night’s sleep?”
“I’m fine when I have a regular routine. It’s just…” She let the words trail off.
Mason put an arm around her. “The training camp? Me? Dustin bailing on you? Way too long a day?” He could see her try to slow her breathing, catching soft breaths. He could still feel a quiver in her body, trembling just under her skin. He could also feel the press of her thigh against his. “Avery, I know one cure for nightmares. One way to get a great night’s sleep.”
The Fighter's Stubborn Lover (The Burton Brothers Series Book 2) Page 5