Page 6 of Hidden Resolution

Jesus, that sound! He nearly groaned in response. It was impossible to recall ever wanting a woman this badly, this fast. Usually, he let them come to him. Let them flirt a little, throw out a signal, and take the lead. But this one? She had him on a hair trigger after one kiss.

He took a chug of his brew and tried to analyze why. Gorgeous? Check. But he’d dated stunning women before. The appeal was more than looks. Perhaps it had to do with her dry humor and whatever spark he’d felt when they kissed. Whatever it was, it made him want to dig deeper, stay longer.

His last thought scared the fuck out of him, but he’d let it play out to see where it led.

“Are you meeting anyone on vacation? A group of girlfriends? A boyfriend?”

Christ. Did he seriously just ask about her relationship status?

“Um, no.” Her eyes widened, honest and unguarded.

And because chivalry wasn’t dead, he leaned in, careful to keep his voice low. “Do me a favor. Don’t advertise traveling alone. If you have to, lie. Say your boyfriend or husband is joining you.” At her startled look, he added, “A woman by herself could attract the wrong kind of attention.”

She blinked, and a half-formed “oh” rounded her lovely, pink lips.

“Just be cautious. I’d hate for you to be one more statistic.” Inside, he cringed at sounding like an overprotective dad.

“Thanks.”

Smooth, buddy. Real fucking smooth. Way to kill the vibe and taint her vacation with worst-case scenarios. He could almost hear Zack braying like an ass. But statistics and probabilities drove everything he did. Apparently, he’d morphed into the kind of guy who warned women not to talk to strangers.

They fell into a slightly awkward silence. Not Mason’s usual MO. And the damnedest part was he hadn’t felt this off-balance in years.

Her hand landed on his thigh, and he nearly shot out of the chair, spilling coffee on his shirt.

“Fuck!” He drew the material away from his skin, intent on preventing a burn.

“I’m so sorry.” Shonda’s face turned crimson. “You looked so lost in thought, and I wasn’t sure you heard me.”

With a pointed glance at the hand still on his knee, he arched a brow.

“Ohmygod! Sorry!” She jerked back faster than if she’d touched a hot stove.

“No harm, no foul. It was barely warm.” Mason couldn’t help but smile when she frowned at his chest.

“Do you want me to get ice or something to cool the burn?” Shonda offered.

Her concern spoke well of her, and he felt terrible for his overreaction.

“I’m good,” he said. “Swear.”

She seemed unconvinced.

He sighed. “What were you going to ask me?”

“I… It’s just that, well, I was wondering if maybe you’d keep pretending we’re together? Just while we’re at the resort.”

“You want me to play your pretend-boyfriend?” he clarified.

“No. Yes. I mean—” She blew out a breath and laughed. “I’m such a hot mess, and here I’ve made you one. Let me get something to clean your shirt.”

Her about-face rattled him, and he watched her go with a shake of his head. That walk of hers was straight fire. Confident, sexy, and effortless. Hot as fuck.

His jeans were growing tight as his thoughts detoured to places they shouldn’t, and he shifted in his seat. What the hell had gotten into him? But it wasn’t just him. Every guy in the terminal was observing her, too. Perhaps even a few women.

Knowing how she affected others made him uneasy. She was going to get hit on, propositioned, and maybe worse. Leaning on his mother’s do-the-right-thing teachings, Mason couldn’t just leave Shonda to deal with the hassle alone.

A minute later, she returned with a soapy paper towel and an apologetic smile.