At his Jeep he stopped to put his duffel in the trunk, then went around to open her door for her. She murmured a thanks and started to slide past him, but he set both hands on her waist to stop her.
Avery tensed and met his eyes, her heart drumming. Lord, the man was gorgeous. And when he looked at her like this, like she was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen and couldn’t drag his eyes from her, it felt real. “I don’t think anyone’s watching us now,” she murmured, only part of her wanting to stop this.
“I don’t care if they are or not,” he said, then cupped her jaw with one hand and kissed her.
Avery dug her fingers into his shoulders, pure need slamming into her as he angled his head and deepened the kiss. Arousal blasted through her, the tender, seductive stroke of his tongue against hers making her insides clench. When he finally lifted his head moments later, she inhaled an unsteady breath, dazed.
His stare burned her. With a low sound he dipped back down for one more swift kiss, then released her, leaving her wobbly and aching for more.
“In you go,” he said, his voice gruff as he handed her into her seat.
Avery scrambled into it, expelling a deep breath as he shut her door and went around to the driver’s side. Jesus. The man could turn her inside out with only a kiss, and make her forget everything around her.
They’d definitely blurred too many boundaries this weekend. Where did they go from here? Where did she want to go from here?
She couldn’t stop thinking about it as he drove them to the highway and started back to Rifle Creek. If she was smart, she would pull back and get them on the same footing they’d been on as of Friday morning. But she wasn’t sure how the hell to do that when all she could think about was what he’d made her feel and how much she still wanted him.
Which begged the question, why had he done that last night? Her mind chewed away on that one as the miles ticked past.
“Your family’s awesome,” he said. “Mind if I take your dad up on his offer and go fishing or whatever sometime?”
“Sure, if you want. But let me tell him first that we’re not together anymore.”
Mason glanced over at her, and the possessive light in his eyes simultaneously thrilled and shook her.
She frowned, caught off guard and unsure what to make of that look, or her own jumbled feelings. “Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah.”
“Why did you do that last night?”
“Do what?”
“You know what.” Make me give in and then make me come. She wasn’t going to freaking say it. If it had been an ego thing for him, she didn’t need to give him any more reason to gloat.
“Because I wanted to.”
“And why was that?”
His jaw tensed, his hand shifting on the steering wheel. “Because I hated seeing that asshole make you second-guess yourself.” He said it without looking at her, his attention on the road. “And because I wanted to hear what you sound like when you come.”
A secret thrill ran through her, and she immediately scolded herself. The man’s sensuality was lethal. She needed to start putting the boundaries firmly back in place. “Well, obviously that was a one-off. Because it can’t happen again.”
“It can’t?”
“No. When we get back, it’ll be just like it was before. We’re acquaintances, and you’re also my tenant.”
“Think we’re more than acquaintances at this point, Avery,” he said quietly.
She flushed and flailed around for a witty comeback. All she could come up with was a list of rules she blurted at him.
No more touching. No flirting. No funny business. No hanging out alone.
“Mason?” she pressed when he didn’t respond to any of it.
“I heard you,” he answered, jaw tight.
“And?”
He glanced at her, gave her a sexy look that had her toes curling in her high heels, and kept driving. “I heard you. But I’m hoping you’ll change your mind.”
Of all the things he could have said, that was the last one she’d expected. “I won’t.” She couldn’t.
Flustered, she abruptly changed the subject. “By the way, you didn’t seem to sleep that well last night. Did you have nightmares?” She winced inside. That hadn’t come out with a lot of tact.
His hand tightened on the steering wheel. “Sort of.”
“What were they—”
“You want to go back to being acquaintances, so how about we drop this.”
Okay, she deserved that. And hell, he’d gone out of his way to help her out this weekend. “All right. You’re right, I’m sorry. But it’s not because I don’t care.”
He nodded once. “I’ll tell you about it eventually. Just not today.”
“All right, fair enough.”
The rest of the drive was a little strained, making it seem even longer. By the time they got to her house, she was anxious to escape and get space from him. Things were already complicated. She didn’t like complicated. She’d had her fill of it already for one lifetime.
“Well,” she said as she climbed out. “Thanks again. I owe you.”
“Avery.”
She stopped and made herself face him. “What?”
His eyes were cool. “You don’t owe me anything. Remember that.”
Something in his tone, his expression, sent a shiver through her. It felt like he was telling her that if she wanted more, she would have to come to him.
While he went around back to the suite entrance, she approached her front door with some apprehension, wondering if it had been trashed as well. But when she stepped inside, she let out a sigh of relief to find everything as she’d left it.
Except for her and Mason, that is. And the unsettling feeling that they had already slipped past the point of no return.
****
They’d only been home for four hours, and yet it seemed like an eternity since he’d seen Avery.
Mason was waiting out in the driveway when Tate’s truck pulled up. He grinned and bent at the waist when the rear cab window opened and Ric flew out of it, a black-and-white, furry missile as he darted at Mason. “Hey, buddy!”
Ric got within seven feet of him and launched his body in the air. Mason caught him with a laugh and ruffled his fur, kissing the top of his head. “You missed me, huh? But I missed you more.” Sleeping with Avery had been no hardship, but Ric would have woken him before his dreams turned into nightmares. He was embarrassed that she’d known he’d had any.
But if he wanted her to let her walls down, then he was going to have to let his down too. It wouldn’t be easy, but Avery was worth it.
“I’ve never seen such a sad animal in my life,” Nina announced as she got out of the front passenger seat. “I seriously could barely get him to eat the whole time. I had to lie on the floor with him and feed him by hand.”
“And she fell for it,” Tate said, getting out his side.
“Well, he doesn’t look any worse for wear. Do you, buddy?” Mason grinned and angled his head to avoid the frantic, ecstatic licking, Ric’s whole body practically vibrating as his tail thumped against Mason’s hip.
“Everything go okay?” Tate asked.