Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The soft rumble of an engine met Vivi’s ears, but it stopped just shy of her driveway. Curiously, she peeked out the window, but it was completely dark. No headlights. Smart. Several minutes passed in silence, but she knew he was coming; she could feel it.
She hurried through the darkened room, knowing instinctively he’d move to the back of the house.
The soft scuffle of footsteps on the back porch was her only warning, and she quickly crouched down out of view, concealed by the corner cabinet in the kitchen.
She kept her eyes trained on the back door, watching. Waiting.
It wouldn’t be long now. Her heart raced in her chest, and she tightened her grip on the trigger as the handle jiggled. Blood rushed in her ears, and the sound of metal on metal filled the air as he picked the lock.
Vivi held her breath as the mechanism popped free. The knob turned, and the door swung open an inch. Immediately, it was stopped by the hook and fastener she’d installed that afternoon. A mumbled curse from outside met her ears, and a feral grin lifted her lips.
Less than thirty seconds later, a small, thin object slipped through the crack between the door and the frame.
She wasn’t close enough to see, but she suspected it was a credit card.
She waited with bated breath, watching as it slid upward.
The object pushed the hook up out of its hole, and it swung down against the door with a gentle clink.
Her eyes narrowed. He thought he was so smart.
The door swung inward, and his huge frame filled the space before he quietly closed and re-locked it behind him.
As he turned back to her, she rose from her position, finger firmly on the trigger.
She flipped the handle on the faucet to full blast, and cold water shot from the nozzle, hitting Mason square in the face.
For a moment, shock rendered him emotionless, then he exploded into motion. “Viv!”
Vivi kept her finger on the trigger, dousing him from head to toe as he stormed forward. “What was that for?” he roared as he tried to wrestle the sprayer from her.
“I told you not to come back!”
Grabbing the sprayer in one hand, he directed it away from his face as he used his free hand to slam down on the handle, cutting off the water. Once the water was off, he snatched the sprayer from her hand and slammed it back down into the sink before flipping on the light and whirling back to her.
Icy water dripped down his face, and anger radiated off of him in waves. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Vivi stared up at the man in front of her. “Waiting for you to break in,” she retorted.
“What if it hadn’t been me?” He made an agitated, sweeping gesture with one hand. “You just wait in the dark like some psycho, waiting for men to break into your house?”
His lethal glare threatened to cut right through her, and she notched her chin up defiantly. “I knew it was you. Who else would park out on the main street, then hike all the way back here in the dead of night to break into my house?”
“In any other instance, I would almost take that as a compliment,” Mason said, a smug smile tipping his lips.
“I didn’t mean it as one,” she snapped. “And the question remains, what are you doing in my house? I told you to leave me alone.”
He took a step forward, closing the distance between them with a little shake of his head. “We both know that’s not gonna happen.”
“Are you out of your mind?” she exploded. “Do you seriously think you could pull the crap you did this afternoon, then just come waltzing back in here?”
The tension in his muscles drained away, and he lifted one hand to cup her face. “I needed to see you…” His voice lowered, took on a soft quality she’d never heard before. “I had to make sure you were okay.”
Anger still crackled through her, and she wasn’t quite ready to let go of it yet. “You acted like an idiot. Both of you did. I’m not some toy for you to fight over.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” His fingers speared into her hair, curling around the back of her head. “You’re not a toy, Virginia, but I will always fight for you.”
The sincerity of his words, coupled with that intense look in his eyes, hit her like a thousand bricks to the chest, knocking the wind from her sails.
She should have known her brother would overreact, and she regretted not just telling him sooner so they could have avoided this whole situation. “Did he do anything stupid?”
He lifted one shoulder. “He threatened to fire me.”
“What?” Her voice rose several octaves. “Are you serious? Are you done?” Mason had known her brother for years. He loved his job here. She would feel terrible if she were the reason he had to leave. “Mason, tell me he wasn’t serious.”
His mouth kicked up in a little smirk like it didn’t matter one way or the other, and she smacked his chest. “If he—”
“Don’t worry about it, babe. I think we… understand each other.”
She couldn’t begin to comprehend what that meant.
She would never understand men. She swore to God, one second they were throwing fists and the next they were best friends again.
Still, she wasn’t completely ready to let go of her anger.
“Whatever. Doesn’t mean you just get to walk back in here like you own the place. ”
“You’re right,” he acknowledged. “I came to apologize.”
She lifted a brow. “Feel free to start any time now.”
A grin split his face before he could fight it back, and it incensed her even more. “You think I’m kidding? I—”
His hands moved to her face, his eyes turning serious in the dim light. “I would never joke about making sure you’re safe.”
Disgruntled, she eyed him as he spoke, feeling the gentle sweep of his thumb as it moved over her cheekbone. “I felt awful all afternoon. Thinking I’d left you here after I hurt you.”
“You didn’t really hurt me,” she said softly. Her cheek was still a little tender, a little red, but he hadn’t clipped her too hard.
He examined the light bruising under her eye and gave his head a little shake. “Your poor face. God, babe.” She went willingly as he tucked her head into the crook of his neck, one hand curved around the back of her head, the other around her back. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He was soaked, but the heat of his huge body radiated through the sodden material, warming her and melting the last of her anger.
“It’s not. I should have been more careful. I can’t believe that happened.”
“Well,” she admitted, “I kind of threw myself between you two. I should have let you kick the crap out of each other and get it out of your system.”
Mason’s chest rumbled beneath her cheek as he laughed. “Probably. I can honestly say that’s the first time anyone’s ever tried to defend me.”
She smiled against his neck. “Just protecting you.”
He pulled back and looked at her. “Don’t do it again. If you ever got hurt because of me…” He gave his head a little shake.
“I’ll try my best,” she promised. She knew Mason could handle himself, but the idea of him getting hurt—especially at her brother’s expense—unsettled her. She would have done it a hundred times over.
As if he could read her thoughts, he quirked a brow before dropping his gaze to her lips.
Head still cradled in his huge hands, he tipped her face slightly to one side as his mouth came down on hers.
His lips were soft yet demanding, and she opened willingly, taking the kiss deeper. Mason broke away. “I’m sorry.”
The corners of her mouth curled into a teasing smile.
“It’s okay. I still like you. Even if you do have the emotional intelligence of a rock.”
Mason’s expression flashed with a mixture of indignation and shock. It quickly bled away, and he offered a sheepish smile. “I’m working on it,” he said.
Her smile grew. “A lot of people have pet rocks, and they seem to be very happy together.”
Mason’s eyes narrowed. “Is that right?”
Vivi barely had time to squeak before his hands found her waist and he began to tickle her mercilessly. Laughter fell from her lips as she fought desperately to fend him off. “Mason! Stop!”
“You called me a pet rock.”
“I said people like rocks!”
Her laughter echoed through the kitchen as she tried unsuccessfully to pry his hands away. He was grinning now, a rare, unguarded smile transforming his face.
“There are worse things to be,” she managed between breaths. “Could’ve called you a garden gnome.”
His eyes widened in mock horror. “That’s it.”
She shrieked as he redoubled his efforts. Finally, he relented, catching her around the waist before she could escape. Both of them were breathless.
Vivi looked up at him, still smiling.
His gaze softened as he stared down at her, and he brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Capturing her chin, Mason leaned dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers.
The kiss stole the rest of her laughter and every clever comeback she’d been preparing. Sweet and familiar, it left her heart racing for an entirely different reason.
When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against hers.
“Still like me?” he murmured.
Vivi smiled. “Definitely.”
A low chuckle rumbled from his chest. “Good.” His arms tightened around her. “Because I’m pretty fond of you too.”
The next morning, Vivi headed into work, butterflies in her stomach. She’d dreaded talking with her brother before; now it was even worse. Not because she was scared of him or what he would do, but because she knew he felt betrayed, and she’d hurt him.
She dropped her stuff off at her desk, then headed toward his office. It was quiet inside, but when she peeked around the door, she saw him seated at his desk, head bent as he studied something on the papers in front of him. She drew a deep breath and stepped inside. “Can I talk to you?”
He was quiet for several seconds before he finally sighed and lifted his gaze to hers. “Sure.”
She closed the door behind her, then made her way to one of the seats in front of his desk. His shoulders were tense, and his eyes flitted around the room, landing on everything but her. “I need to apologize for yesterday. I never wanted you to find out that way.”
Knox raked one hand through his hair. “I just… Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know how,” she admitted. “Mason wanted to tell you weeks ago, but I begged him not to. I wanted to tell you in my own time, once I was sure things would work out between us.”
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” Knox replied. “You’re all I have. It’s my job to protect you, to keep you from getting hurt.”
“How do you know he’ll hurt me?”
His eyes dropped to his desk. “Experience.”
She understood that Knox knew a side of Mason she didn’t. He’d seen him as a Marine, as a single man. The Mason she knew was loyal and trustworthy and would do everything in his power to keep her safe and take care of her. “When you were in the service… you trusted him with your life, right?”
Knox’s expression turned wary. “Yeah. Why?”
“You’ve never told me a lot of the stuff that happened over there, and I would never ask. I’m sure you guys dealt with some awful things. But the whole time, Mason had your back. If you trust him with your life, trust him with mine.”
Knox was quiet for a solid minute before he spoke again. “I hate it when you’re right.”
She sputtered with laughter. “You’re such a jerk.”
“Yeah, but I’m your brother,” he returned. “I’m allowed to be protective of you.”
“And I appreciate it,” she said. “Just… let us figure it out. Nothing is guaranteed in life. We could be together for two weeks or the rest of our life. Only time will tell.”
He pulled her into a hug. “I love you, Viv.”
“Love you, too.” Wrapping her arms around his waist, she returned the hug.
Telling him the truth had lifted a huge weight off her chest, and she finally felt like she could breathe. She had no idea what the future would bring for her and Mason, but she was dying to find out.