Chapter 19
I’d messed up. Royally. Mase had shared a traumatic experience with me, and I’d sided with his worst fear.
I knew better. More than most people, I knew better. As expected, he left and didn’t come back.
January shifted to February, and the cold front left us behind with relatively warm weather. I found myself spending more time outside, conveniently on Mase’s side of the house. Hudson was living his best life, but I was running out of dog poop to pick up as an excuse to check out Mase’s windows.
If he happened to glance up and see me, all I got was a head nod of acknowledgement. As if my sheets didn’t still smell like him.
Mom informed me I needed to be sneakier if I was going to peep in his windows—then she gave me some helpful but disturbing advice. The best view was closer to the ground. Which was how I’d ended up on my knees scrubbing the fence in preparation for a new coat of sealer.
The Texas sun blazed down on me, but in February it didn’t pack much heat even in the middle of the afternoon. The side gate creaked open, and Andrew slipped inside, letting it slam shut behind him.
“Mase have practice today?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.
Mase was gone a lot, with classes, practices, and a string of away games.
I understood since I was busy too. I had a series of guest appearances I’d promised to do a while ago along with a backlog of static content.
All in all, I didn’t see him for almost two weeks, other than glimpses over the fence.
“Yeah,” Andrew grunted, sounding exactly like his big brother.
He came by almost every day, and I was pretty sure he was purposefully mimicking Mase. The guys had enrolled him in school, and they took turns watching him, but he showed up in the afternoons after the bus dropped him off to sit on my couch and play video games until Reece got home from practice.
Without fail, Mom made him snacks and asked about his day. Sometimes, I played with him. Every once in a while, I let him win.
“I can’t play today,” I told him, nodding at the tools spread out around me. “House stuff.”
Andrew eyed the brushes, sealer can, and bucket of soapy water. “Need me to stay and keep you company?”
Unlike my grumpy neighbor, Andrew loved to talk once he got over his initial shyness—especially about Mase—and I usually took advantage of his font of knowledge without shame.
Mase was hurting, because of me, and I desperately needed to know how he was doing.
Desperate enough to paint the fence on the chance he might come home while I was toiling.
The offer was tempting, both because I could probably convince him to help and because he’d give me all kinds of interesting information while we worked.
Thanks to the kid, I’d learned about the brutal hockey schedule, and how much time they spent at the rink or the gym.
I’d learned Mase had moved the guest bed into his basement space so Andrew wouldn’t be alone at night.
I’d learned none of the guys could really cook worth a damn, which Andrew had told me the day before around a mouthful of lasagna Mom had made just for him. She spoiled him relentlessly.
I’d also learned Mase didn’t want Andrew over here. He’d been warned to leave us alone, but Reece disagreed with the order. Hence, every day Andrew was here, I got a mysterious text message from Reece letting me know they were on their way home. No explanation, but I could read between the lines.
Andrew always scrambled back to his house after I gave him the warning, and we continued on as if Mase and I shared joint custody of the kid. It was by far the weirdest part of my life, but not in a negative way. The family-coded vibes gave me warm, fuzzy feelings despite the undertone of trouble.
“Nah,” I finally answered Andrew. “Hudson is pouting inside because I won’t let him eat the suds. Why don’t you go keep him company?”
“Bet!” Andrew raced off, and the smell of warm chocolate chip cookies hit me when he opened the sliding glass door.
Mom was at it again, and by my calculations, Mase would be home soon. Andrew would go back to his house smelling like dessert, which would make Mase come outside and peer past the fence. It had happened before.
The reasonable part of me pointed out I could simply walk over there and talk to him. I hadn’t been barred from his presence or anything, but the not-so-subtle shunning pissed me off a little bit. Keeping all his trauma buried inside and bolting at the first sign of trouble wasn’t healthy.
I tried to give Mase the space he wanted—clearly not counting the current situation—but I had a secret. Every night, I dreamed of him. Against the table. In my bed. On the bathroom counter. The man wouldn’t leave me alone.
I missed him. The reality bugged the shit out of me.
Before I could finish washing the fence, my cell phone went off with the usual warning text. I dried my hands on my towel, stuck my phone in my pants, and headed for the house. Andrew was wrestling with Hudson in the living room, so I let out a quick, loud whistle. Both of them stopped moving.
“Time to go.”
Andrew knew exactly what I meant and sprang into action. He rolled to his feet and sprinted past me for the back door, grabbing his backpack on the way.
“Thanks! Bye!” he yelled over his shoulder, once again slamming the glass door shut.
I watched him cross the backyard and scale the fence as if he were half monkey. Mom appeared behind me in the reflection of the glass, so I sent her a raised brow.
“Chocolate chip cookies? You are so predictable.”
She shrugged. “Why change the play if it works? All those boys love chocolate chip, except Reece who keeps begging me to send him some peanut butter cookies. I haven’t gotten the recipe quite right though.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Are you sending them cookies?”
Mom crossed her arms, ready to go to battle as usual. “Why does it matter?”
I sent her an incredulous look. “Mase doesn’t want us interfering in his life. How are you even getting them over there?”
“Andrew and I have a system. How’s the fence coming along? You don’t want to waste the best part of the afternoon sitting inside.”
“Can you stop scheming for five seconds?”
She shrugged. “You’re the one who insisted you needed to check on him.”
“We’re both horrible people. We can’t keep using the kid to get close to Mase.”
It was her turn for the disapproving brow. “Who says I’m using Andrew? He’s a delightful child with a fantastic mind. He’s polite, kind, and he genuinely cares about others. I wish I could spend more time with him.”
“Fine.” I threw a hand up. “Everyone else here is a saint. I’m just worried about Mase.”
Mom wrapped an arm around me from the side and nodded toward the house next door. “Then stop making it everyone else’s problem.”
I hated when she was right.
With a groan, I headed back outside to clean up my mess.
The fence did need to be cleaned and stained, but I could do it another time.
Cars pulled into the driveway next door while I stored the bucket and stain in our shed.
I’d give them a few minutes to get settled, then go over there with a plate of cookies like a normal human.
When I backed out of the tiny building and closed the door, Mase stood just inside our gate, only a few feet from me. I swallowed the shriek but couldn’t hide the way I jumped sideways like a spooked cat.
“Jesus,” I panted, trying to get my heart out of my throat.
Mase grinned. “Sorry, but I’m here on official business.”
He didn’t sound sorry at all—he sounded amused. I had the momentary urge to throw something at him. Maybe the stain. It was good and hefty.
“What business?”
“The duck off. Reece insists you need to be the judge, and since you already agreed, I’m here to collect.”
I looked down at my dirt-smeared sweats and ratty t-shirt. “Where are we going? Because if the answer is anywhere except your backyard, I need to change.”
Mase’s gaze slowly trailed down my body. My nipples perked up like they were expecting some attention, and the rest of me flushed with heat. I suddenly needed air, but I didn’t want him to think I couldn’t handle one drawn out, sexy as hell perusal.
His eyes finally landed on mine. “We’re going to a park, I forget where, and you look great.”
I blew out the breath I’d been trying to control. “I’m a hot mess in my painting clothes. Give me two minutes.”
He crossed his arms and pointedly looked at his watch. “What do I get if you’re later than two minutes?”
“The joy of finding another referee for your insane roommates.” His chuckle followed me into the house.
What the hell was I doing? I’d been jumping through hoops all day to see him, both emotional and physical, and here he was all jolly and teasing. It was an improvement over grumpy, upset Mase, but I didn’t love the extreme back and forth.
We’d talked about it before. Hot and cold didn’t work for me. My life demanded steadiness and predictability. Still… I had a soft spot for people working through their issues. And I had a wet spot for one particular goalie with truly impressive tattoos.
I made record time changing and brushing out my hair from the rat’s nest it was trying to become, but when I made it back to the side yard, Mase stood there clicking his tongue.
“Two minutes and forty-eight seconds. So close.”
“What are you going to do about it, hot shot?” The retort slipped out without any real consideration on my part, and I realized my mistake immediately.
Mase’s eyes darkened, and he started toward me. “I’m going to give you a better use for that sharp tongue.”
I took a step back before I caught myself. He didn’t scare me, but my righteous anger was slipping through my fingers like melted ice cream. Did he think he could spend weeks—weeks—ignoring me only to show up out of the blue and set my panties on fire?
Dammit, he definitely could.
A grin flirted across his face, as if he could see my internal debate. I stood my ground as he threaded his fingers through my hair, cupping the back of my neck. Surprisingly gentle for the amount of tension stretched taut between us.
My heart raced as he paused, inches away.
“You can always say no,” he whispered.
“Do you hear me saying no?” I said, gripping his shirt with a fist.
His mouth slammed down on mine, demanding a response I was happy to give. Weeks apart, and it felt like no time had passed.
“I missed you,” he murmured against my lips, and I melted. Completely at his mercy, no shame whatsoever.
I boosted myself up and wrapped my legs around his waist. Mase’s hand gripped my ass, steadying me, as he took two steps to the fence and pinned me there.
I writhed against his hard length, moaning as the delicious pressure sent shockwaves through my system.
It wouldn’t take much to get me off at this point.
He rocked his hips into me and trailed hot kisses down my neck.
“We could always skip the duck off,” I suggested with a gasp, making him laugh.
“Baby, if I didn’t think Reece would use it as a villain origin story, I’d already have you upstairs. As it is, we’re going to be late.”
With deliberate reluctance, he eased away, and I slid down until my feet were on solid ground again. We stood with our arms around each other, panting and contemplating Reece’s demise. He was right though. I’d promised to help, and I didn’t break my promises.
I groaned, unhappy with my own morals. “Fine. Lead the way. I have to say, if this is how you punish someone, I’m really looking forward to winning our next challenge.”
He opened the gate and slapped my ass gently, nudging me through. “Let’s get through whatever horrors Reece has in store first, okay?”
With my body on fire, I really wanted to argue with him. Reece would understand. To my great amusement, Mase had to adjust his pants twice on the way around the house—once in front of Mrs. Lipnicki who pursed her lips in displeasure. At least I wasn’t the only one suffering.