Page 123 of Off Plan

“Wait, really?” His green eyes were so damn beautiful. “Because I could fake being tired right now and we could be up in my room in minutes, and I could do that thing where—”

“You know I can hear you, right?” Gage demanded. “My young, impressionable ears arebleeding.”

“Sure,” I said, shrugging. “If you really want to, let’s go. In fact! Hey, why don’t weallgo?”

Mason’s eyes widened and his lip curled. “All?”

“Yeah, the whole family! Might be crowded, but I think they’d love to watch.”

“What?”

“You don’t think Uncle Rafe and the boys would enjoy season two ofDr. Who? Thatwaswhat you were suggesting, right? No? Otherwise, I don’t—”

Mason grabbed my shirt, and I laughed out loud as he drew me toward him.

Someone really had to tell the man his “threatening” face wassonot threatening, but that person wasnotgoing to be me.

“I hate you,” he said.

“Too late,” I sang. “You already told me you loved me. No take-backsies.”

“I said it after a traumatic incident! That shit doesn’t count.”

“You said it after a traumatic incident, so it countsmore.”

“I should have taken a cab from the airport that first day,” he groaned.

I leaned over him and looked seriously into those eyes I loved, eyes I never wanted to go a single day without seeing. “No, baby, you shouldn’t have.”

His green eyes went soft on mine. He put his hand on my jaw and leaned up to kiss the corner of my mouth. “No,” he said seriously. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have.”

“Aaandstillhearing you!” Gage interrupted. “Comeon, guys, give me a break. I haven’t gotten laid inmonths, and the tension between you is so thick I could cut it.”

“It’s myferrymones,” I said solemnly. “They make me irresistible.”

Mason laughed, my favorite sound ever, and Gage shook his head. “You guys are so weird.”

Young Rafe and Beale wandered over and sat down on chairs under the patio cover.

“Who’s weird? Fenn?” Rafe said. “This is not new information, little brother. And poor Mason has a coordinating aura.”

“Acompatibleaura,” Beale corrected, rolling his eyes. “Coordinating is for paint chips. And you know, the funniest thing about you is thatyouraura is—”

Rafe held up a hand. “None of my business. I let you worry about my aura, Beale.”

“Hey, Dad!” Gage called. “Are you done burning the steaks yet? This is fun and whatever, but I have plans tonight, so I’ve gotta get back to campus, and we haven’t talked about the treasureat allexcept when that reporter knocked on the door and you yelled ‘No comment’ through the peephole.”

Big Rafe leaned around the side of the house and scowled. “Gage Spence Goodman, you can’t head off island yet. The Pass is still an unholy mess, with all those work crews all over the place.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said patiently. “I’m the one who drove here and had to park my car more than half a mile up the road, remember? And lemme just tell you, walking around the crater brought me past the Original Homestead, which totally gave me the heebie-jeebies.” He leaned closer to Mason. “Ghosts, you know?”

Mason snorted… but held me tighter anyway. I suppressed a smile.

“Ergo, if you go back to campus, the reporters willhoundyou,” Big Rafe warned.

Gage shook his head. “Nope. Not a soul knows who I am there. It’s you guys I feel bad for, especially Fenn and Mason. The second y’all alerted the state about the treasure, you became sitting ducks, and once they heard about Mason’s near miss? Story’s total clickbait.”

Big Rafe came and took a seat next to the picnic table. I waited for him to say something about this being exactly what he’d hoped for—good publicity for the island! Instead he gave Mason a stern look.