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.