Chapter 22 #3
I let out a long breath of air as my thoughts drifted back to my disastrous, short-lived marriage to Nick. I allowed my fingers to trail across the brittle paper, tracing the outline of Georgina’s loops and swirls. ‘I want to read more of the diary, but…’
‘But what?’ Mason asked quietly beside me.
‘Part of me thinks I shouldn’t.’
His shoulders shifted under his dark T-shirt. ‘And why might that be?’
My stomach lurched and I cursed myself. Mason’s profile was all hard, chiselled angles.
‘Why, Poppy?’ he repeated.
‘Because…’ I faltered. ‘Because it seems she had an affair with this man and risked everything.’
Mason’s intense stare made my stomach twist. ‘We don’t know for sure yet that they did have an affair,’ he replied. ‘But there was certainly a very strong attraction between them.’
‘And if she did have an affair with him?’
Mason’s light eyes twinkled. ‘Perhaps she thought it was a risk worth taking.’
‘It sounds like it was,’ I croaked through a papery laugh. I could feel my eyes misting over at the romantic thought of some handsome, roguish highwayman charming the ladies and making other men feel inferior.
I was aware of Mason watching me before suddenly jumping up from the sofa. Disappointment pooled inside me. Had I said something wrong? Had I offended him? ‘Thanks for your input.’ His tone was cool.
Puzzled, I handed him back Georgina’s diary. ‘What is it?’
He proceeded to fasten his zip case, after thrusting the diary back inside. Even Darwin appeared perplexed as he jumped to his feet and eyed his owner through a clump of ragged fringe. Mason’s voice was curt. ‘Perhaps you should listen to the advice about not putting your heroes on a pedestal.’
I rose to my feet. ‘What’s the matter? Mason?’ Then his words struck a chord. ‘Oh, hang on a minute. Is this your way of suggesting that I idolise the Scarlet Highwayman?’
His silence answered my question – and inflated my annoyance.
Pictures of Mason flirting with other women on beach strolls or gazing into their eyes over dinner filed through my head.
Nick appeared too. I’d ignored the rumours circulating about him and other women.
I’d made excuses to myself that he’d been seen with just a friend or a student and that it was all innocent.
‘Well, perhaps admiring a man who died almost three hundred years ago is preferable to the vacuous modern-day alternative.’
Mason marched towards the front door, his brows stormy. ‘You might be in for a shock. Maybe your Scarlet Superhero wasn’t the man you think he is.’
I folded my arms. ‘Well, forgive me if I’m wrong, but I thought this was one of the main reasons why we were researching him. To find out the truth?’
He smirked. ‘You need to stop mooning over a man who isn’t even on this earth.’ He whirled round and strode back over, throwing his case down on the hall carpet. ‘You’re so blinded by him; you can’t see what’s right in front of you.’
My chest rose and fell and I swallowed. ‘Which is?’
‘Do I really need to answer that? Maybe I should show you.’ He was right in front of me in one stride and raised my chin up with one finger. Then his mouth was crushing mine, his hands pressing and kneading my back.
The taste of him was intoxicating. I found my breath catching as I kissed him back with such ferocity, I almost didn’t recognise myself.
I couldn’t resist him. In truth, I didn’t want to.
My stomach fluttered and I pushed my fingers up and into his wiry black hair, gently tugging and pulling those crisp waves. Mason responded by pressing himself harder against me and I reciprocated, arching my back.
Bolts of desire shot through me as his lips continued to seize mine over and over.
A disappointed gasp escaped from the base of my throat when I found him pulling away from me. ‘I’d like to see your precious highwayman do that,’ he growled.
What the hell was wrong with him?
I took a faltering step away from him, as I dragged myself back to reality. ‘So, this,’ I rasped, ‘was just to prove a point?’
What had I done? Why had I let my guard down?
Mason began to speak, but I shook my head. ‘I think you should go.’ I wrapped my arms around myself. ‘I should never have let you kiss me.’
He appraised me from head to toe. ‘You were kissing me every bit as much as I was kissing you.’
‘Well, I shouldn’t have done. It was a mistake to invite you here.’
Mason glowered down at me. I watched his mouth harden. ‘You’re bloody impossible,’ he ground out. ‘I knew there was a reason why I worked alone. It’s a lot less complicated.’
A dry laugh tore out of my throat. ‘Oh, here it comes again. It’s the Lone Wolf speech. You prefer to work alone. You don’t want to be involved with anyone.’
He snatched open the front door, with Darwin trotting at his heels. ‘Relationships aren’t for me. I’ve found that out to my cost.’
‘Yes. You and me both.’
My mouth was still tingling from the feeling of his lips, as he straightened his shoulders. ‘Thanks for dinner,’ he muttered. ‘It was delicious.’
‘Goodnight.’ I stooped down and patted Darwin, before banging my front door closed and biting back disappointment.
I knew I should’ve listened to commonsense. When would I ever learn?