by Jen Talty
Mason enjoyed the raspy timber of Destiny’s voice. It wasn’t manly, by any means, but it had this deepness to it that sent his body into overdrive.
“Must have been hard to pack up and leave all your friends and family,” Emma said.
“Only family I have left is my Uncle Richard. All my friends chose my ex over me, so no, it wasn’t that hard at all.”
Mason couldn’t decide if she was being sarcastic or just cold. Either way, there was a story there, and he wanted to know how it ended.
“That’s too bad,” Emma said.
Destiny shrugged. “It is what it is.”
“Words to live by.” Mason raised his glass. “Here’s to making new friends who will always have your back.” He made sure he clinked Destiny’s glass first. Smiling, he gave her a wink before taking a full gulp of wine.
He was still in the game.
Destiny rested her feet on Mason’s legs. He gently massaged her ankles. The warmth from the fire prickled at her skin. She let out a long breath and closed her eyes. The wine had gone to her head.
And other places.
“You have nice friends.” She should drop her feet to the ground and race home before she did something she’d regret.
“They’re good people.” His fingers danced over her ankle. “I’m glad you decided to join us. I was afraid you might send Coop out the door and be done with it.”
“I thought about it, but my fridge was empty and so was my stomach.”
“So, you’re now using me for my exceptional grilling skills?” he asked, his soft laugh echoing in the night.
If she were any other woman, and he wasn’t a cop, they might have half a shot.
“You’re a man of many talents.” She opened her eyes, catching his dark gaze. “And I’m drunk, so I best be going home.”
“I’ll walk you.”
“It’s not necessary.” She stood a little too fast and had to use his strong shoulders for support. Her legs wobbled as she swayed back and forth.
Or maybe that was him.
“I’m not going to be happy in the morning.” She rubbed her temples.
“Come on.” He looped his arm around her waist.
She leaned on him like a crutch. Her stomach sloshed with each shaky step. When she’d been holed up in a cheap motel waiting to testify, she barely took a drink. Not because she didn’t want one, but because what had been available had been worse than toilet water. Her years running tables and living the high life had given her a taste for expensive drinks.
Tonight had been filled with your average person’s alcohol, and it had been the finest she’d ever tasted.
“Where’s your key?”
“Front right pocket.” She tried to reach inside her pants, but instead she stumbled. “Shit.”
“I got it.” His fingers rubbed against the top of her thigh.
She held her breath, wishing he’d missed the pocket altogether. However, no sooner was his hand awfully close to everything that made her woman than he was dangling her key ring as he unlocked the back door.
“Let’s get you some water.”
“You don’t need to babysit me.” She hiccupped.
“I don’t plan on it. But water might help with the hangover tomorrow.” He handed her a glass filled with cool liquid.
She chugged it down and then belched. She covered her mouth. “Shit. I’m sorry.”
“I’ve heard and seen worse, trust me.” He guided her toward the bedroom.
If he made a pass at her, she wasn’t sure she would be strong enough to resist. “I hope you’re not going to take advantage of me.”
“I would never,” he said, pressing his lips against her temple. “I am, however, going to make sure you get to bed, alone, safely.”
“Why do you have to be so nice? You’re making it impossible for me to dislike you.”
“Now why would you want to do that?”
She stood at the edge of her bed, her hands pressed against his hard chest. “Besides that I’m coming off a bad relationship, you’re a cop. I don’t do cops.”
“Was your ex a cop?” Mason flipped open the button on the top of her skirt.
“No. What are you doing?” She heaved in a large breath, which pushed out her breasts. Her nipples tightened under the tension of the fabric.
“Where are your pajamas?”
“Under the pillow.” She stepped out of her skirt, painfully aware that all she sported was a tiny pink thong. “I can take it from here.” She snagged her boxer shorts and fell over, her butt missing the edge of the bed. “Crud.”
Mason laughed.
“Not funny.” She took the hand he offered. The second she went vertical, she almost fell over again.
“Why don’t we just get you under the sheets,” he said.
She poked his chest. “Alone.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I don’t know what’s worse. The fact you knew I was in the tub with a sex toy or that you saw dental floss in my ass.”
He pulled the covers up to her chin and leaned over, his hot breath coating her skin. “You have a really nice ass, and maybe some day we can use that toy together.”
“Just not on my ass.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Did I just say that out loud?”
“I’ll leave some water by the nightstand, and I’ll lock up.” His mouth hovered over hers for a long moment. His thick lashes blinked over his dark, captivating eyes.
All four of them.
Oy. She was going to pay for this tomorrow.
“Mason?”
“Yes, Destiny?”
“Thank you. You’re truly one of the good guys.” She palmed his cheek, drawing him closer.
He pulled back. “I’m not as good as you think because this good deed is going to cost you.”
“Yeah. How?”
“Because Hannah’s birthday party will be our first official date, and I won’t take no for an answer.”
Mason slipped from her room. He made sure all the windows were locked before stepping onto the back patio. The night sky was filled with a blanket of white stars. A half-moon kept a glow over the world, lighting the night like a beacon in the ocean.
Everyone in town knew about the path from his backyard to the lake. A few families who lived in town would often use it to access the lake. He never minded, so he never said anything to anyone about using it, though just about everybody asked if it was okay. When he was a kid, they used to party in the wooded area, but back then, his house was owned by an elderly couple, not the local assistant chief of police.
However, the tall trees and thick brush made for a great hiding place. He and Blaine once hid there while on a stakeout for some idiot who kept vandalizing the park. Turned out to be Jake and a couple of his friends.
Mason turned on the flashlight from his phone and made his way toward the path. Three paces from the narrow opening something moved, rustling the greenery. Two seconds later, whatever, or whoever, was in the bushes took off running.
So did Mason.
He stayed on the path, even though whatever he chased zigzagged through the woods. They would either get caught behind the fence that slinked around the other side of his property or end up near the picnic area of the park.
The rev of a car engine roared. Mason stepped into the clearing just as a dark sedan fishtailed out of the parking lot.
“Fuck,” he muttered, yanking out his phone. “Hey, Siri, call Blaine Walker.”
The outside lights at the Thief Lake Bed and Breakfast were still on. A small bonfire crackled in the distance.
“What’s up?”
“Someone was in the woods behind my house. They had a car in the parking lot of the state park. It looked like it could have been that Mercedes, but I can’t be sure.”
A shadow emerged on the back patio of Blaine’s house.
“I see a car pulling out onto Route Seven. I’ll see if I can head them off at the pass. Bowen’s on duty, do you want me to dis
patch him to your place?”
“Not necessary. If I find anything, I’ll call him.”
“I’ll call you back shortly.”
Mason headed back toward the property line, but this time he eased through the trees, keeping the flash on the ground, searching for anything that could prove Jake had been lurking in the woods, spying on Destiny.
He came to a small clearing about twenty paces from where the tree line met the open yard. The exact spot he used to party at when he’d been a teenager. The old tree trunk he used to sit on was still there. Next to the trunk were two Ho Ho wrappers. Jake’s prints were in the system, so if he left behind the trash, he could be certain Jake was the only threat.
Only, how did he get his hands on a foreign car?
That wasn’t the only part that didn’t make sense. Jake’s anger had always been directed either at himself, law enforcement, or old man Dixon. Granted, Destiny did aid the police in capturing Jake, but why was he sticking around to fuck with her? Jake might not be the smartest kid, but he wasn’t that stupid.
Of course, who knew what kind of drugs he’d been experimenting with. Sometimes that was a game changer.
Mason texted Bowen and Blaine, letting them know he was going to bag and tag a potential piece of evidence. Mason walked through the woods two more times, covering every inch of land. He didn’t find anything else, so he headed back to his place. Time to unleash the beast.
Maybe Coop could find something.
His phone buzzed just as he put the wrappers into a bag and marked it. He clipped the leash onto Coop’s collar and began to walk him around the property.
“Hello?” He held his phone to his ear.
“I never found the car. I think they took off down the dirt road near your folks’ place, but I’ve searched everywhere. They’re gone.”
“So, whoever it was knows the area because you can cut across to River Road and be in the next county in less than five minutes.” Mason was sure Jake knew how to do that, but again, where did he get a car? “We should do a search on cars that have been reported stolen in the last week.”
“Already on it.”
“I didn’t see the plate. It was too far away, and the flashlight on my phone wasn’t strong enough.” Mason knew he didn’t owe an explanation to his boss, but he needed to play it all through his mind. Details were often discovered when witnesses replayed the events. But every time he thought about it, he came up empty.
“Bowen should be there any second,” Blaine said. “Give him the evidence bag and tell him to do a drive-by between your place and the park every half hour when possible.”
“Not necessary. I can do a perimeter check every hour.”
“Nope. You’re off duty. Get some sleep.”
The phone went dead.
Sleep. Right. Like he’d be able to do that.
A patrol car eased down the street.
Mason met Bowen in the driveway before Bowen could get out of the vehicle. “We need this dusted for prints.” He handed Bowen the bag.
“That’s it?” Bowen rested his arm on the open window.
Mason nodded. “Quiet night?”
“There was a brawl down at the pub between two girls, and let me tell you, chicks don’t fight fair, and the poor bartender made the mistake of getting between them. Not only did one of them break his nose, but he’ll be walking with an icepack between his legs for days.”
Mason cringed. He’d once stepped between two girls in high school. He should have known it was a bad idea considering one girl bit the other.
And then bit him.
“I hate the night shift. It’s either quiet as sin, or full of sin.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Bowen waved his hand. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Be safe out there.” Mason stood between his house and the cottage. “I can’t leave her alone, now can I?”
7
“Uuuggggghhhhh.” Destiny kicked the covers to the side and sat on the edge of her bed, rubbing her temples. “Please tell me I didn’t do anything stupid.” She replayed the events of the night before. She glanced down, remembering Mason helping her out of her skirt. She could still feel his lips on her cheek.
That last thing she remembered was watching Mason stroll out of her bedroom after covering her with the sheets.
Whew. Nothing happened.
Other than her behaving badly.
Ruff. Ruff. Ruff.
She jumped. Her feet tangled up in the sheet. She twisted and turned with her arms flapping wildly, trying to maintain her balance.
But then Coop came racing in, and his tail smacked her legs, sending her crash-landing to the floor with a thud.
“Coop. Get back here.” Mason’s voice filled her mind. The sultry sound set her skin on fire. “Are you okay?” He stood over her with both his hands stretched out. “Sorry. I thought I had secured your door last night.”
“What the hell are you doing in my house?” She did her best to wrap the sheets around her half-naked body, ignoring his offer to help her to her feet.
Right now, she’d prefer to stay right where she was.
“I didn’t feel comfortable leaving you alone.”
“I wasn’t that drunk,” she muttered.
He bent over, tucking one arm under her legs. He lifted her off the ground with ease. “Put me down,” she demanded. She hated being manhandled by an alpha male almost as much as she despised taking a fist to her face.
“Coop, move over.” Mason gently set her down on the bed. To his credit, he made sure she stayed covered up. “When I left last night, someone was in the wooded area, and they left a couple of Ho Ho wrappers behind. I sent them to the lab hoping to get prints.”
Her head throbbed with every syllable that flew from his mouth. She heard each word but struggled to connect them to the bigger meaning. “I’m not sure I’m following.”
He fluffed a pillow and had the nerve to sit next to her on the bed with his arm around her, tucking her head into the crook of his shoulder. His fingers glided across her temples, massaging gently, easing the pain. It felt so good she moaned.
“Someone was here last night?” she asked.
“Whoever it was, I chased them to the park where they had a car and drove off. It wasn’t a car I recognized. Do you know anyone with a Mercedes?” He talked so fast that the words collided together in a hodgepodge of sounds. It made the room spin.
“Could you please talk slower and softer.”
His stomach rose and fell with a throaty laugh.
“It’s not funny.”
Coop sighed, resting his head on her legs. She ran her fingers through his thick fur, scratching behind his ears as she snuggled into Mason’s body. It felt way too comfortable. Like she’d spent every morning of her life with this man and his dog in her bed.
Or maybe it was just the familiar feeling of a past life where she was happy for five minutes. Lucas had been so sweet in the beginning. He was the most attentive boyfriend she’d ever had. That should have been the first red flag. Lucas went too far, and if she were being honest, devotion was only a ruse to gain her trust so he could control her. When he couldn’t, he tried to beat her into submission.
That wouldn’t happen again.
She stiffened her spine. Snagging a pillow, she put it between her and Mason.
He looked at her with an arched brow.
“You need to leave,” she said with a confident voice. “You might be my landlord, but you have no right to enter my home while I’m sleeping.”
Mason didn’t budge.
“I’m serious. I want you to get out.”
He sprang off the bed faster than a puck hurtling toward the goalie off a slapshot. “I need to talk to you about this incident. I’ll wait in the kitchen. I made a fresh pot of coffee. Coop! Come!”
Mason and his dog disappeared into the hallway.
A second later, the door slammed.
“Shit,” she mumbled. Her stomach slos
hed like she’d been on one of those rides that swirl around and around with only one intention: to make you vomit. She drew in a long breath, filling her lungs with the necessary oxygen she needed to calm her nerves. Closing her mouth, she let the air out slowly. She repeated this five times before finding a pair of yoga pants and a long T-shirt and made her way out of the bedroom.
Mason leaned against the doorjamb with his back to her, but she could see him raise his mug. Coop lay at his feet, ears perked up, staring off in the same direction.
“Please explain to me why you are here.” She reached up on tiptoe for a mug. The smell of bitter coffee settled her stomach immediately.
“After my officer picked up a piece of evidence, I didn’t feel comfortable leaving you alone.” He turned. His jaw was tight, and the way he stared her down reminded her that he was indeed all cop. “I thought about just leaving Coop, but then he might have scared the shit out of you.”
“He did,” she mumbled.
“For the record, I slept on the sofa.”
His wet hair and the smell of manly soap indicated a shower, which means he left and came back.
Not cool.
“Why didn’t you wake me when you saw someone?”
“I thought about it but figured you didn’t want me sneaking into your bedroom in the middle of the night.”
She waggled her finger. “That’s about the only good decision you made.”
He set his mug on the counter and closed the gap. “I have no idea who was out there, but if it was Jake, he wasn’t alone.”
“What are you saying?”
“Whoever helped him get out of the ankle monitor is helping him screw with you. Do you know anyone who drives a Mercedes?”
A sudden chill slithered down her back, sucking the life out of her. The room, and Mason, swayed back and forth. A million things raced through her mind, but the only people who would want to mess with her were Lucas and his buddies. They might be in prison, but she’d lived on the dark side of the law enough to know that being locked up didn’t mean you couldn’t reach the outside world.
“I saw one in town. A Mr. Rivers? He was with Lilly. But other than that, I can’t think of anyone.”