Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Audrey watched as Hannah and Luke chattered away across the table, their heads dipped close together, and she eyed them with envy. They were so different, but so good together. It almost felt as if they were imposing on some private moment, despite the fact that they had invited her along tonight.
She adjusted the napkin over her lap, and Mason leaned in close, his breath tickling her ear as he spoke. “You good?”
Audrey lifted her gaze to his and forced a smile. “Yep!”
She almost cringed at the high-pitched voice that left her mouth, and by the way one of Mason's brown brows ratcheted upward, it hadn’t gone unnoticed by him, either. She scrambled for something to say before he could read any more into the situation than necessary. “So, what are you doing again?”
Mason’s eyes roved the room once more. “Working.”
“No kidding.” She rolled her eyes. “But what does that mean?”
He let out a low chuckle. “I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”
“I’m supposed to be your cover tonight, but I don’t get to know what you’re doing?
” Hannah had called Audrey the night before and asked her to tag along to dinner with her and Luke, as well as his friend and coworker, Mason.
Not one to turn down a dinner she didn’t have to cook, she readily accepted.
Hannah had mentioned that the guys were doing some recon, but she either chose not to elaborate or didn’t know the details. Having met both men now, Audrey was betting on the latter.
Mason's mouth curved into a smirk. “Tailing a cheating husband.”
“Ooh,” Audrey whispered as she glanced around the room. “Which one?”
Knowing exactly how it felt to be on the receiving end of that particular situation, she hoped Mason would catch the bastard in action. An almost unnatural glee filled her at the prospect of the man—whoever he was—getting his comeuppance.
Mason gave a rueful shake of his head. “Be a little more obvious, why don’t you?”
Audrey bit back a smile. “Sorry. Not really cut out for the cloak-and-dagger type stuff.”
He smiled. “Cloak-and-dagger?”
“Whatever.” She lifted a shoulder. “You know what I mean.”
“Mmm…” He pulled out his phone as if to check something, and she watched from the corner of her eye as he took a few discreet photos, then set it down again.
The curiosity was killing her, and she fought to keep from looking at the man across the room. “Was that him?”
“Maybe.”
She turned in her chair to face him fully. “So, what now?”
He shrugged. “We eat.”
Audrey stared at him. “But… you only took a few pictures. Couldn’t you have done that from outside?”
“I could have, but this was easier. People tend to notice a man hanging around outside a restaurant all alone like a creeper.”
She grinned. That was probably true, especially for a man like Mason. Trying to miss him was like trying to overlook a boulder. “Fair enough. So what’s with Luke and Hannah?”
The couple across from them didn’t even look up. “Just an extra layer of invisibility. Right now, we’re just a couple on a double date with friends.”
That made sense, she supposed. She nodded and picked up a roll from the basket, then tore it into tiny pieces. Mason turned quiet again, probably surreptitiously watching his mark, and she popped a piece of the bread into her mouth as she looked around the restaurant.
It was beautiful, elegant, and intimate, the perfect place for a date—a real date. Though the restaurant was popular, she’d never been there before, and she doubted she would be again. She couldn’t help but wish the circumstances were different, that she was there with someone who cared about her.
“In case I didn’t tell you, I appreciate you coming out with us. Having a good time?”
She lifted her head and forced a smile. “Fine, thank you.”
Mason’s tawny eyes studied her for a long moment, then the corners crinkled up in a smile. “You’re a terrible liar, red.”
“Don’t call me that.”
His brows lifted, and the smirk on his lips became a full-fledged grin. “I like a woman with some fire.” Her lips parted to shut him down, but he cut her off. “Too bad you’re not my type.”
Audrey jerked back slightly at his words, not sure if she should be relieved or offended. He rested one arm over the back of her chair and turned his body to fully face her. “You’re beautiful, no doubt about that, but I know a taken woman when I see one.”
She dropped her gaze and fiddled with the napkin in her lap. “I’m not taken. I’m not seeing anyone.”
“Not even the guy who can’t take his eyes off you?”
Audrey snapped her head toward him. “What?”
At the very same moment, the sensation of being watched tickled at the back of her neck, and she turned to survey the restaurant.
Abruptly, like a magnet drawn to steel, her gaze collided with a pair of familiar dark brown eyes, smooth and dark as melted chocolate, and a thousand times more tempting. She wanted to drown in the deep depths.
Her heart leaped, and her breath caught in her chest as he stared back at her, unblinking. He flicked his eyes toward Mason before returning them to hers, and his brows lowered slightly. Despite their brief interactions, she knew that look. He was pissed.
She swallowed hard and picked up a glass of water just to give her hands something to do. She took a tentative sip, but the glass trembled in her grasp, and she quickly set it down again.
“You good?”
Audrey tipped her face up to Mason, whose expression now registered concern. “I’m fine,” she assured him.
“You sure? Because if he’s bothering you—”
She waved one hand in the air, as if batting the thought away. “No, no, nothing like that. He’s not dangerous or anything. He would never hurt me.” Just her heart.
Mason’s lips pressed into a firm line, and she set a gentle hand on his forearm. “I promise. I appreciate your concern, though. And besides, it was never serious between us.”
The charismatic smile returned. “Not sure I believe that. Cross looks like he wants to rip my face off right now.” Glancing toward Carter, she snatched her hand away from Mason’s arm. If he’d looked angry earlier, now he looked downright thunderous.
Suddenly, his words registered. “Wait—you know him?”
Mason dipped his chin. “Went to school with him.”
Oh, Lord. Just what Audrey needed—for Carter to think she was dating a friend of his. She didn’t owe him a thing, but she didn’t want to hurt him, either. Her stomach twisted, and she felt the sudden need to get away from both of them.
Her hands fumbled as she picked up the napkin, then folded it and placed it on the table. “Excuse me.” She pushed her chair back and stood. “I need to use the restroom.”
“Oh,” Hannah started. “I—”
Across the table, Audrey shot her a look, and she immediately fell silent. “I’ll be back in just a moment.”
Without waiting for a response, Audrey cut across the restaurant, desperately trying to escape the dark brown eyes she could feel burning a hole in her back.