Chapter Twenty

Nate threw the basketball to Mason. They were warming up before their regular game against Luke, Rafe, and their associate, Austin. Though the men liked to believe they were relatively enlightened, they weren’t quite enlightened enough to invite five-foot-tall Zoe to play with them on the weekend. “So you want me to do what, exactly?”

Mason gritted his teeth and passed the ball back. Nate understood perfectly well what he wanted; the bastard was just trying to get him to grovel for it. “You’ve got contacts at every real estate firm in the city. You’re going to make sure that before any of them list Tess’s lot for sale, they call you. And you’re also going to make some discreet inquiries through one of your agents to see if you can get her agree to a private sale. Offer her whatever she wants, at or above market. I’ll pay it.”

Nate owned a substantial amount of real estate and had a group of attorneys and agents who represented him in land deals. A single residential lot wasn’t his usual target, but there was no reason he couldn’t use his contacts to get ahead of whatever Tess might be planning.

Connor interrupted, grabbing the ball away from Nate. “Forgive me for being a little dense here, but didn’t you just say Tess is staying at your apartment? And haven’t you two been practically in each other’s pocket for the last few weeks? If you want to buy the lot, why not just ask her directly, rather than playing some kind of spy game about it?” He dribbled the ball while he spoke, then turned and made a smooth three-point shot. For all his awkwardness off the court, Connor on the court was surprisingly agile and effortlessly competent. He’d played in college, and now scored the vast majority of their points for every game.

“Because she won’t sell it to me.”

“And you know that because?” Nate interjected.

“Because I know her, okay?” Mason ran to retrieve the ball and dribbled back to the half-court line. “How about for once you don’t argue and just do this for me.”

Nate held up his hands in surrender. “You know I’ll do it in a second, but can I suggest that if you like this woman, maybe going behind her back may not be the best way to show it?”

“Forgive me if I’m not inclined to take advice from the guy whose last girlfriend attacked him at a restaurant when he tried to break up with her over the crème brûlée.”

“She wasn’t my girlfriend,” Nate grumbled. “Which means we weren’t breaking up, because you can’t break up with someone who isn’t your girlfriend.”

“Did you point that out to her? Because I’m sure she appreciated that particular nuance of your relationship.”

“And she didn’t attack me. She threw a glass of water at me.”

“You aren’t helping your case.” Mason pitched the ball to Connor, who made an easy layup.

Mason couldn’t make himself focus on the court. Even with Nate and Connor giving him a hard time, his thoughts kept turning back to Tess. What was she doing now? Was she okay on her own? He’d sent a text to Cecilia right after he left, and she’d responded about an hour later, saying that she was at his place with Tess. That made him feel a little better. He didn’t know the icy blonde, but her dedication to her friend was unmistakable, and comforting, and he had the sense that Cecilia wouldn’t like Tess’s ridiculous insistence on handling this all on her own any more than he did. He hoped that might translate into her encouraging Tess to stay with him.

He was certain she would try to sell her lot. He couldn’t see any other options. She had no other source of money, and he knew she was desperate not to take out loans. Just as obviously, he couldn’t let her do it. Still, there were some distinct flaws in the plan he’d outlined to Nate. First, Tess might arrange some kind of private sale on her own, and he’d never know about it. Cecilia probably had lots of contacts she could use to do exactly that.

The larger problem was that he had no idea what he would do after he bought the land to convince her to take it back. If he’d learned anything about Tess, it was that she was wouldn’t take this type of interference lightly. It was also possible—understatement of the century—that she’d be angry with him for buying it. But that was a risk he needed to take. The thought of Tess losing something that she so clearly loved was more than he could take.

“Hello?” Connor cleared his throat as he stood under the basket. “Earth to Mason?”

Mason shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, then held up his hands in front of his chest to indicate readiness. “Sorry.”

Connor studied him with an uncomfortable intensity. He wore a pair of thick sports glasses that looped around the back of his head and made him look vaguely alien-like. Or like a really tall extra from an episode of The Big Bang Theory. “So you’re going to lie to Tess, but you’re going to do it for her own good.”

Mason nodded, feeling only slightly sick to his stomach at the thought.

“And you’re going to call these rental companies about the places she wants to rent? Maybe interfere with that as well?”

“I just want to make sure they’re safe. I’m not going to interfere. Or, I won’t interfere much.”

“Right. And this will make her fall in love with you?”

“I never said I was trying to do that.” He frowned. “Just throw the ball.”

“But you are in love with her.”

“I didn’t say that either. I care about her a lot, of course, and I just don’t want to see her throw away something important because of her pride. And by the way—you sound like a girl.”

Connor tossed the ball to Nate, who had approached on Mason’s right, and then stopped and held up a hand. “We are all in agreement that I am the least socially adept person on the planet, right?”

Nate considered that for a moment. “I don’t know about the entire planet. But certainly in a hundred-mile radius of San Francisco.”

Connor nodded acknowledgment. “Fair enough, I’ll take the hundred-mile radius. Anyway, given that I could never figure this sort of thing out on my own, I just want to make sure I get it all down from the master. Mason, your plan is that you fall for the girl, then lie, scheme, and plan a secretive grand gesture behind her back to get her to fall for you in return. That sound right?”

Nate guffawed. “Apparently so.”

“That’s not it at all!”

“Sorry, we’ve already established I’m really slow at this,” Connor replied, sounding insufferably smug. “Can you explain it again? Start with the part about how you aren’t in love with her, even though all of San Francisco has now seen a picture of you making calf-eyes at that event a couple of days ago. And finish with the way you are desperately plotting ways to keep her in your apartment, even though by this time with any other woman you’re thinking about how to make sure she doesn’t stay.”

“She doesn’t want a serious relationship,” Mason bit out. “She’s been very clear about that. And she’s vulnerable right now. She’s not making good decisions. I can’t let her throw away something she loves.”

“Not to mention that you’re scared of making some kind of commitment to her, and this is a much easier way to get her to stay with you,” Nate offered helpfully. “Don’t forget about that.”

Connor nodded. “Okay, see, I didn’t get that. I’m just so slow. Anyway, Mason, you clearly know what’s best for her. And it’s a good idea for the man to make decisions for a woman, right? Behind her back?”

“Which is so weird,” Nate put in. “Because I would have thought that was a bad idea. But Mason’s the ladies’ man, so I guess he must be right about this.”

“Will they kick us out of the gym if I knock out your teeth?” Mason asked pleasantly.

“Sorry, it’s just because I’m a scientist,” Connor said. “I like to be thorough and make sure I understand completely. Basically, you’re scared to come clean, tell her how you feel, and make a commitment to her, and instead, you’re going to buy her land and call it good.”

Mason refused to dignify that with a response. “Can we just play some damn basketball?”

“Sure.” Connor adjusted the strap on his glasses. “No problem. And thanks for the lesson, maestro.”

…

“Wick, you are the laziest creature ever to live.” Tess stood by the door with the large leather leash in her hand. Wick didn’t even move off the sofa. “I have never seen a dog that doesn’t want to go for a walk.”

At the word walk, Astro launched herself from across the room. She spun in a circle and yipped before settling into a sitting position with a cheerful pant and a quick look back at her new boyfriend.

“You did that all for him, didn’t you?” Tess shook her head with disapproval. “I know he’s cute, but he should be fighting for your attention, silly girl. Not the other way around.”

Astro yipped, raced over to the couch, and nosed Wick’s foot, then ran back to Tess. With a sigh, the enormous dog lumbered off the couch and headed their direction. This ritual was enormously comforting to Tess, prompting her first real smile of the morning, which had been punctuated by worry, worry, and more worry.

“You,” Tess said to the pathetic mastiff. “At least you could pretend not to do whatever she wants. Have some backbone, man!”

Still smiling, Tess bent to put on his leash. The sound of the doorbell brought her upright in surprise. In all the time she’d been living at Mason’s place, she couldn’t remember anyone coming to the door. Cece had just left, and Mason wasn’t back yet from playing basketball. She glanced into the peephole and saw a young woman who appeared to be her early twenties, her shoulder-length hair a mix of light blond ends and darker roots. Her slim body was partially exposed by tight jeans with holes at the knees and thighs, and a sweater that barely made it past her midriff. A beat-up leather Hobo bag hung over one shoulder.

Tess hesitated, unsure if she should let her in or not. Just as she was going to reach for the door handle, the young woman hollered, “Mason, you there?”

Tess put her eye against the peephole again. There was something familiar about the young woman…something she couldn’t quite…

“Wii-ick.” The girl changed to a singsong tone. “You in there, baby?”

One glance at the mastiff’s cocked head and raised ears told Tess all she needed to know. She opened the door, immediately struck by the sight of Mason’s familiar hazel eyes in a tall, willowy female body. “You must be Alli.”

The girl froze, staring at her in confusion. “Um, that’s super creepy, but yes, I am. Who are you?” Her attention shifted to the dog that had leaped toward her. She dropped to her knees and hugged his thick neck. “Aw, there’s my sweet boy!”

She fussed over him for a few minutes, until Tess cleared her throat. “Did you want to come in?”

“I guess that depends on whether you’re a serial killer-slash-stalker who broke into my brother’s apartment and left his body bleeding out in the shower.”

“Is there another alternative?”

Alli wiped some mastiff drool off her face, then shrugged and flashed a cheerful smile. “Not that I can think of, no. I know Beatrice, so you aren’t his housekeeper, and if you were his date last night you’d be gone by now. He doesn’t bring work home, and you don’t look like his usual lifestyles of the rich and annoying crowd.”

“Old friend, maybe?” Tess offered. It was hard not to like this irreverent creature, who had a vibrant energy rolling off her and gave the impression there was a smile hiding behind everything she said.

“Mason doesn’t make friends with women. They always end up falling in love with him.”

“You don’t say.”

“You don’t seem like a serial killer. Though I suppose that’s exactly how they operate.” Abruptly, her attention was diverted to Astro, who was sitting beside Tess’s foot. “And who is this?” She crouched down and extended her hand. “Hello, princess! Do you want to come home with me?” Astro wagged her tail and allowed herself to be petted. From her crouched position, Alli noticed the leash in Tess’s hand for the first time, and her forehead wrinkled with concern. “Wait, are you stealing my dog?”

Tess couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing and held the door open wide. “You would make a great detective. Yes, I’m a serial killer who owns a Maltese and is stealing your dog. Come on in.”

Alli followed behind her and dropped her bag on ground by the door. “I still can’t believe he got a white leather couch,” she said with disgust. “Seriously, who buys a white leather couch?”

“Um, people like your brother?”

“No, rich douche bags. And generally, my brother is not a douche. I mean, occasionally, yes, but not generally. Which makes the white leather thing really weird.”

Tess laughed again. “It’s actually very comfortable. And I’m Tess. Mason hired me to take care of Wick.”

Alli’s face cleared. “Oh, of course! He mentioned something about that last time I talked to him. He said you’d talked to the vet and gotten him off that medication he’d been on. The one that was making him pee all the time.”

Tess nodded. “Yeah. He didn’t seem to need it anymore, especially once we changed his diet. He’s doing really well. You’ll want to keep an eye on it in the future, but so far his skin and everything looks great.”

“Mason said you were training him, too.” For just a moment, her eyes turned wistful. “I guess I’m pretty much a rotten dog mom. I couldn’t get him to do anything.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Tess waved off Alli’s remark. “I know a lot of very responsible people who can’t train their dogs.”

Alli snorted. “Responsible? I guess Mason hasn’t told you much about me.” She strolled into the kitchen, taking in Tess’s leftover breakfast bowl of cold oatmeal and her and Cece’s cups of coffee on the counter. With a surprisingly penetrating gaze, she glanced around the apartment, and Tess found herself cringing at the sight of the clothing Cece had brought, including several pairs of underwear, still scattered all over the couch, and her computer, which she’d left plugged in and sitting on the dining room table.

“So,” Alli said with deceptive nonchalance, “are you living here now?”

“No. I mean, not really. My house burned down last night. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“That’s horrible!” Before she knew what was happening, Alli had given her a short, fierce hug. “Can you fix it? I set our kitchen on fire once. It took forever for the smell to go away, and that was even after we replaced all the drywall.”

“It’s mostly charcoal. Nothing to fix.”

“Well that’s absolutely awful. I’m so sorry. You should definitely stay here.”

“You might want to run those sorts of invitations past your brother.”

Alli shrugged off her warning. “Whatever. Mason will do what I tell him, and I think you should definitely stay.” She narrowed her gaze. “Unless you’re going to fall for him. You aren’t, are you? You have a boyfriend or something?”

Tess sat in one of the stools at the kitchen counter and shook her head in wonder. “You are an exhausting person, you know that?”

“That’s what they say.” Alli paused. “And?”

Not answering her questions didn’t appear to be a viable option. “No boyfriend.”

“Oh dear.” Alli exhaled in concern. “You know he doesn’t do relationships, right?”

“So I’ve heard,” Tess said drily. “But don’t worry; I don’t like pretty guys.”

Alli squinted at her. “You sure?”

“Very sure.” She didn’t like them, but occasionally fell in love with them. Whatever. Alli didn’t need to know that. “I learned my lesson on that years ago. The pretty ones never work out.”

“It’s not that he’s an asshole,” Alli said earnestly.

“Oh, I didn’t mean that. It’s just common sense. Never fall for a guy who’s prettier than you are, you know?”

Alli nodded. “Excellent point. My mom thinks he just hasn’t found the right girl. She keeps pushing him to date more, and I’m like, ‘Mom, he dates plenty. I don’t think lack of dates is the problem.’”

There was something deliciously naughty about having this window into Mason’s life stretch open before her. “What do you think the problem is?” Tess asked cautiously.

“I think he needs to be dumped.” Alli opened the fridge and perused the contents. “Club soda, vegetables, and yogurt? Are you kidding me?” She sighed and pulled out a bag of baby carrots, which she offered to Tess.

“No thanks…” Tess waited, but Alli was now pawing through the pantry cupboard. She pulled out a box of crackers, grabbed a handful, and then put the box back, still open, into the cabinet. She did the same with a box of cereal, shoving a handful into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully for a moment before proceeding. Tess watched, fascinated. She’d never had a sibling. Was this what it was like to have one? They came to your house and made a mess and had absolutely no compunction about doing so? “You were saying?” she prompted.

“What’s that?” Alli turned back around, her mouth still full. “Oh right. See, I’ve taken a couple of psychology classes, and I think he’s got a perfectionism complex. He always did everything right, you know? Exceeded expectations. Started playing football and ended up quarterback. Applied to colleges and got into MIT with a huge scholarship. Didn’t just get a good job, he ended up being some kind of superstar investor. So he has to keep it up. Keep up being perfect.”

“What does that have to do with dating?”

“Oh, it’s obvious.” Alli waved a carrot knowingly. “He doesn’t want to risk being dumped, because what could be less perfect than that? So he dates girls that are already half in love with him. And then it creates this bad cycle, because he’s never as into them as they are into him. And he knows in his heart that all these girls aren’t right for him, so of course they don’t last. I think he needs to be dumped, just once. Get it out of the way. Realize that life is messed up sometimes and it’s no big deal. Then maybe he will start dating people he actually likes.”

Tess blinked. “That’s a really convoluted theory.”

Alli grinned. “I know, right? Isn’t it great? I’m supposed to graduate this spring, but I’m thinking about changing my major to psychology.”

“What are you majoring in now?”

“Right now?” Alli tapped her chin. “Right now, art history. Before that, it was sociology. And before that, I was pre-med. But that only lasted about a month. Then I realized I don’t really like science.”

“That would be an impediment.”

“Yeah. I’m basically a walking demonstration of what life looks like when you can’t make a decision. My parents keep threatening to cut me off, but then they forget and go on vacation. I think after raising four other kids they just gave up.”

Suddenly, Tess’s own tangled path in life didn’t seem quite so exceptional. “That makes sense. Or maybe you just wore them down.”

“Definitely a possibility.”

“You could just go ahead and graduate,” Tess pointed out. “Your job prospects are way better with a degree. Once you’ve got the degree you could get a job and enroll in a part-time program to take any classes you need for a graduate program.”

“Not a bad idea,” Alli mused as she ate another carrot. “One of my roommates works at a counseling center. She’s just a receptionist, but she seems to like it. She’s getting ready to graduate and move so maybe I could apply for that.”

“I’m working at a vet clinic right now to get an idea of what it’s like. I just sweep the floors and clean cages, but it’s a good way to get your foot in the door.” It was weirdly easy to talk to Alli. Sort of like shouting into a tornado.

“You work in a vet clinic? No wonder you knew what to do with Wick. But I thought you walked dogs?”

Tess nodded. “I do both. And I’m going to school online. I dropped out of high school when I was seventeen and didn’t get my GED until I was twenty-two. It’s taken me five years so far, because I have to work full-time, but I should be finished with my BS next year.”

Tess wasn’t sure she’d ever reeled off her life story with quite such ease. And strangely enough, saying it all made her feel proud, not ashamed.

Alli looked impressed. “Wow, that’s quite a schedule. I’ve been in school for six years, on and off, but I only work part-time as a nanny.”

“People pay you to take care of their children?”

“I know! Funny, right? But the kids love me, and I love them. I’ve got a couple of kids I nanny for who have seriously cracked parents, and I just want to do everything I can for them. That’s why I’m thinking now about going into counseling.”

Tess grinned at the passion in her voice. “I bet you’d make a great counselor.”

“Tess?” Mason’s voice entered the room as he opened the front door. Wick and Astro ran over to greet him, tails wagging. When he stepped into the apartment his gaze landed first on Tess, then on Alli. “How’d you get in here?”

She counted off on her fingers. “One, your doorman loves me. Two, Tess loves me.”

“She does?”

“I do?” Mason and Tess spoke at the same time.

Alli grinned. “You do. It’s impossible not to.”

“I’m not sure you know what that word means, brat.” Mason set his exercise bag by the door and sat down on an armchair to remove his sneakers. Tess couldn’t help but notice that his damp T-shirt clung nicely to the muscles of his back. “And why exactly are you here?”

“I came to say hello to my dog,” Alli said primly.

“And eat my food?”

“Your food sucks. You’re like some old hippy guy eating nothing but vegetables and whole wheat bread. The last thing I came here for was your food.”

“Sorry, I ran out of Fritos.”

“I like Fritos,” Tess threw out, just to see what Mason would do. “They’re just corn and salt, you know. No sugar. Quite healthy, actually.”

Mason raised a brow. “Healthy? How long has she been here?”

“Long enough.” Alli held out the bag of carrots. “Would you like a delicious snack?”

“No thanks. Tess and I were heading out to lunch.”

Tess furrowed her brow. “We were? I was just getting ready to take out Wick.”

“We definitely were.” He indicated the puddle of brown fur that had formed around his feet. “Alli probably wants to walk her dog. I’m sure she’d been missing having that opportunity.”

“Of course I have. I was actually here because I wanted to tell you that I think I’ve figured out a way to take him back.”

Mason jerked around. “You have?”

“You have?” Tess stiffened in shock.

They spoke at the same time again, and Alli looked back and forth between them. “You guys are kinda cute. Do you rehearse that sort of thing?”

“What’s the story, brat?” Mason didn’t exactly sound relieved. If anything, he sounded annoyed.

“My lease is up in a month anyway, and there’s a group of girls who want our house. Apparently they have a lot of stuff to store, so they’re willing to pay us extra if they can start moving their stuff into the house now.”

“And how exactly does that translate into a home for Wick?”

“I have a friend who has an extra room in her house next year. It’s kind of a dump, but the landlord allows dogs, even big ones. So I can move in with her and use the extra money to cover the double rent payment.”

“Why would you need a house next year in Berkeley? Aren’t you going to have graduated by then?”

Alli glanced at Tess before continuing. “I’m actually thinking after I graduate I’ll stick around in the area and find work in a counseling office. If that’s what I really want to do, I’ll need a graduate degree anyway. I can always go back later to finish up my prerequisites.”

Mason drew back. “Seriously? That’s a ridiculously mature thing to do. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that.”

Alli shrugged. “It was Tess’s idea.”

They both turned to Tess, who felt her cheeks heat. “Tess’s idea?” Mason said, his voice cracking slightly. “I’ve been trying to get you to get a job for years, and all it took was one visit with Tess?”

“She’s very convincing. And the truth is, I’m getting a little tired of being in school.”

Mason collapsed against the sofa. “Deliver me from all women,” he murmured.

“Hey!” Alli called. “You’re supposed to be proud of me.”

“Forgive me, but I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Fine.” Alli stomped past Mason on her way to the front door. “I’m going to take Wick for a walk. You two go out to lunch. And don’t worry about looking stupid when you say exactly the same thing at the same time. It’s totally normal and not at all embarrassing.”

Tess’s cheeks were starting to burn, so she turned and pretended to look for something in the fridge while Mason got up to walk with Alli to the door.

“Are you serious about taking Wick back?” she heard him ask. “Because I don’t think it’s good for him to be jerked around right now. He’s getting a lot better on the leash, but Tess is still working on his training.”

“I thought you hated him,” Alli replied.

Tess wanted to keep her head in the fridge, but she figured at some point it might look weird, so instead she grabbed a can of sparkling water and made her way to the dining room, where she opened her computer and logged into one of her classes. To be fair, she was listening so hard she wasn’t sure which one.

“I don’t hate him. I just want to make sure you take responsibility for him. He’s not a toy, Alli. You can’t just have him, then not have him, and then have him again when you feel like it.”

“Thanks, Dad. I appreciate the thought.”

They continued to argue into the hall, and then the door closed behind them and Tess could no longer hear the conversation. When Mason came back inside a few minutes later, his mouth was drawn into a line. “She says she’s serious about it. She should know on Tuesday if she can move into the new place and take Wick with her.”

“Any chance that’s a good thing? She seems to really care about him.”

“She cares about a lot of things for a very short period of time.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I honestly don’t understand her. The rest of us all managed to finish college and get jobs. What happened to her?”

“Maybe it’s hard to be the one who always messes things up. Maybe if you’ve messed up enough things, you don’t want to bother trying anymore.”

“But you did exactly the opposite. You turned your life around.”

“Because I had to,” Tess pointed out. “I had a grandmother who was relying on me. Your sister’s got a whole lot of love behind her, but not a lot of expectations. That’s hard in its own way. How are you supposed to see yourself as competent if no one else does?”

“She was always the clown.” He stared down at his hands as if remembering. “She could always make us laugh. No matter what the occasion. But you can’t be a clown forever.”

Tess deliberated over her words, not wanting to say the wrong thing. After only a few minutes with her, she was hardly an expert in understanding Alli’s life choices. But she couldn’t help but feel empathy for the vibrant young woman, who seemed to have so much energy and passion but didn’t seem to know how to channel it. “Maybe not, but it’s not so easy to change. We all put ourselves in boxes, I think. And sometimes they’re so comfortable, we don’t even notice we’re in them. But once we’re in, it’s really hard to get out.”

It was a moment before he spoke. “What box are you in?”

She pushed away from the table and turned toward him. Though she knew she was different from Alli, she couldn’t help but see similarities between them. “When I was younger, I thought I was in the same box as my mom. I thought I had to make all the same mistakes she did. Even when I’d do something right, it always felt like a drop in the bucket compared to all the things I’d done wrong.”

“And now?”

She gave him a rueful smile. “I know I’m different. I know it. But I feel like I’m still trying to climb out of that box. Someday I’m going to. I just don’t know quite when.”

“And what box am I in?” There was something almost raw in the question.

She thought about all the things Alli had said about her brother and couldn’t help but wonder if she hadn’t been on to something. “Is it true that no one has ever broken up with you?”

“Did Alli tell you that?”

“She did. She had a theory about you.”

“She’s got a lot of theories. And yes, that is true.”

“She thinks you’ve always been perfect, so you’re scared to screw things up.”

His gaze flickered from her lips to her eyes, and then back. “Maybe it’s easier not to care about things than to risk having them go wrong.”

The conversation had turned suddenly intimate, and her heart thumped. “I’ve tried that strategy. It sounds good on paper, but is harder to execute than you’d think.”

He pulled her to her feet. Their bodies were only inches apart, but Tess could feel every inch of them as if he’d been pressed against her. There was a question in his eyes, and it made her stomach shift. “Can you teach me something about risk, Tess?” His voice was soft, but the ache it aroused in her was anything but.

“I can show you what it looks like when you fail.” Her body was betraying her already, stealing her ability to string together rational thoughts.

“But what about when you succeed, and the risk was worth it in the end?”

“Sorry, that’s not one I can help you with.”

“Maybe we can figure it out together then.”

His words were thrilling and awful in equal measure, yet she couldn’t quite make herself respond. It was one thing to talk about risks in the abstract, quite another to actually take one. “That sounds, um, terrifying.”

“Risks are like that.” He slipped his hands under her shirt and dragged his thumb across her nipple.

“What are you doing?” she breathed, her body combusting in an instant.

“You’re not moving into one of those horrible apartments,” he said. “You’re staying right here.”

“I need my own place,” she replied, trying to keep her voice even. “We both know that.”

“I don’t know that,” he said. “I really don’t know that.”

Her breath caught in her throat. She didn’t know what she would have said next, because at that moment there was a pounding at the door, and then Alli’s voice broke the stillness.

“Hey! I need some bags. You know, the cleanup kind?”

Tess pushed him away and practically ran to the kitchen, where they had a stash of bags for exactly this purpose. Something about the conversation they’d been about to have terrified her, and relief swamped her from head to toe.

“Just a minute,” she hollered, not looking back at Mason. Grabbing two plastic bags from under the sink, she headed for the front door. The weight of his gaze followed her across the room, but she refused to look back.

“Here you go,” she said to Alli, thrusting them out in front of her.

The girl looked nonplussed at the aggressiveness of the gesture. “Um, thanks?”

“No problem.” Still not glancing back at Mason, Tess grabbed Astro’s leash. “Actually, I was just thinking that you don’t know the area very well. Why don’t I come with you?”

“Ah, okay, I guess?” Alli hesitated and looked over her shoulder toward Mason. “Weren’t you guys going out to lunch or something?”

Tess waved her hand dismissively. “I actually had a late breakfast. I’m not very hungry.”

When she finally did look back, Mason’s arms were crossed over his chest, and he was gazing at her steadily. “I guess we’ll finish this later?” he said.

“Sure.” She stumbled over her words as she bent to put on Astro’s leash. “Much, much later.”