Page 43

“Thanks,” Mason said. “As soon as we’re done, I’ll take you upstairs and tuck you into bed.”
I licked my lips. Was he planning on sharing a bed with me? I wasn’t sure how traditional his uncle was, whether he’d encourage or be insulted if we stayed in the same bedroom.
“What?” he asked.
I shook my head, a tired smile on my face. “I didn’t say anything.”
“No, but you’re thinking it.”
“How do you know what I’m thinking? Since when are you a mind reader?” I asked.
He shut off the water as I dried the last plate and placed it on the drying rack. I didn’t know where anything went to put the dishes away.
Mason took the dishrag, folded it, and then grabbed my hand, and led me up the stairwell. Wordlessly, I followed him willing to sleep wherever he put me.
We reached the top of the stairs and the second door on the right he opened and flipped on the light, leading me inside. A single queen-sized mattress was pressed up against the wall. A quilt was pulled back, and several pillows had been fluffed and positioned for guests.
“Where are you sleeping?” I asked.
He shut the bedroom door. “With you, of course,” Mason said. He pulled his t-shirt over his head and then undid his belt buckle, pulling his belt free.
I stood there frozen, watching him undress. Were we really sharing a bed together? We’d slept beside one another dozens of nights, snuck into each other’s dorms, and risked expulsion, but the number of times we’d actually had sex I could count on one hand.
He opened the dresser and tossed me a t-shirt. “You can wear this to bed if you want. It’s mine. I left a few things here in case I pay Uncle Jeb a visit.”
“Do you bring all your girlfriends here?” I asked. I hadn’t intended to come across as jealous, but the way Mason had insisted his uncle wouldn’t trust me unless we were together, I found it unsettling. “Turn around,” I said.
“What?”
“I’m not undressing in front of you. Turn around.”
Mason rolled his eyes and then turned around to face the door.
I quickly stripped out of my clothes, which happened to be Mason’s sweats that I’d worn earlier so as not to attract attention to myself. I slipped into his t-shirt and left my panties on before crawling under the blankets.
“Okay, you can turn around,” I said. He removed his jeans and folded his clothes, leaving his things on the dresser before shutting off the light and stalking to the bed in only a pair of boxers.
Did the room get warmer?
“You didn’t answer my question,” I said. My eyes never left his body. He looked hot half-naked, and he was incredibly good-looking with his clothes on. It was any wonder a woman hadn’t already snatched him up.
“About the girlfriends? You’re the only person I’ve brought here that’s not one of my military buddies, the Eagle Tactical guys.” Mason climbed beneath the covers, leaving me plenty of space on my side of the bed. He was a professional. Even while sharing a bed and pretending to be together, he was keeping his hands to himself.
I groaned and rolled around, restless in bed.
“What’s wrong?” Mason’s soft voice I found incredibly soothing.
His hand reached out, grazing my breast before settling on my side. Had it been an accident in the darkness, or had he wanted to touch me intimately?
“Aside from the fact I’m exhausted?”
“Fair enough. Get some sleep,” he said. His lips grazed my cheek and planted a soft, gentle kiss against my skin.
“You don’t have to pretend in here. It’s just you and me.” His uncle couldn’t see us in the privacy of the bedroom. He didn’t have to pretend that he wanted to be with me. He’d already rejected me once today. I wasn’t going to throw myself at him again.
“I would never pretend. I mean outside of Uncle Jeb, but that’s just because he’s paranoid about the government and what I do for a living.”
Sighing, I curled up on my side, my eyes shut. I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d last awake. “He’s not wrong. I mean about what you do, the danger that follows you around.”