groaned. “Damn it, this is so not fair.”
Surprisingly, Mason hauled me into his
strong arms, hugging me tightly. His embrace was so warm and safe; I wanted to
live there forever. Dropping the bag, I hugged him back, clinging to his shirt
for dear life and inhaling his provocative scent. It felt so…good. I really
enjoyed being near him.
But then Mason released me. My stomach
plunged as the feeling of security flew away.
“It’s only for a while,” he consoled me.
“Once we catch this guy we’ll do what it takes to put his ass in jail and you
can feel safe here again.”
I nodded and forced a smile. What I
really wanted was for him to pull me back into his arms and never let go.
Never.
We stepped into the hallway and I locked
the door. I didn’t want us to separate just yet. No. I had to stay with Mason a
bit longer.
“You know, it’s early. I’m not doing
anything except sitting around my dad’s condo feeling anxious, and since you’re
off duty right now…how about lunch?”
That sexy, crooked grin crossed his
lips. “Okay,” he said.
“And,” I added as we started for the
stairs. “No talking about my mess. I’d like to get this whole thing off my
brain for at least an hour.”
“Sure,” he agreed, then he asked in a
cunning tone, “So is this a date, Bristol?”
I laughed. “Just friends having lunch.”
Mason chuckled. “Friends, huh?”
“Yes.”
He allowed me to trek in front of him
down the stairs. Reaching the exit, we continued to the parking lot. I dropped
the water bottles on the backseat of my car.
“There’s a place close by,” I said,
indicating we should leave our cars behind.
Mason agreed, and then gestured for me
to lead the way. We walked for a few minutes until we reached the seaside
restaurant. The place wasn’t too crowded. We sat at the circular,
rustic-looking bar, and after putting in our orders and receiving our drinks,
we started to talk again. I told him a bit about me, including why I’d chosen
to live in Newport.
“So you wanted to escape the tight hold
of your mom,” he concluded.
I tittered. “Something like that. I
wanted to live my life without her constantly trying to control it. I mean,
Newport isn’t too far from Middletown, but I needed to put a little distance
between us.”
“I know what you mean,” he said. “My
dad’s like a dictator. He made all the decisions for me and Ariel. We were too
scared to go against him, but the older I got, the more I fought to make him
hear me.”
I listened without interrupting him. It
seemed like Mason wanted to get some things off his chest, and I was pleased
that he was sharing them with me.
He glanced at his drink as he continued
talking. “When I told my dad that I wanted to join the force, he wasn’t
supportive. He came up with all the reasons in the world for me to attend
college instead and become a businessman like him. He and my mom thought it had
to do with Ariel, which was partly true. I also wanted to help others and felt
that being a cop was one way to start.”
“What’s your other way?” I asked,
impressed.
Mason refocused on me, pride etched on
his face. “Well, I’d like to be a mentor, help kids in our community.”
Humph. This guy was amazing. “Nice. Good
for you,” I said, trying not to show how mesmerized I was by him. “Actually, I
volunteer at the center downtown once a week when I can.”
He grinned broadly. “That’s cool. I like
that.”
“Yeah but it’s nothing compared to what
you do for our community. Trust me, you give back enough by being a police
officer.”
He grazed my fingers, the tender touch
making me shiver.
“Thank you,” he said softly. “You’re
making a difference too by volunteering.”
A contagious grin split his lips,
causing goose bumps to break out across my skin. I wondered if this man knew what
he was doing to me.
Heat seared through my cheeks, and I
glanced at my drink to try and hide it. Feeling naked and vulnerable
Surprisingly, Mason hauled me into his
strong arms, hugging me tightly. His embrace was so warm and safe; I wanted to
live there forever. Dropping the bag, I hugged him back, clinging to his shirt
for dear life and inhaling his provocative scent. It felt so…good. I really
enjoyed being near him.
But then Mason released me. My stomach
plunged as the feeling of security flew away.
“It’s only for a while,” he consoled me.
“Once we catch this guy we’ll do what it takes to put his ass in jail and you
can feel safe here again.”
I nodded and forced a smile. What I
really wanted was for him to pull me back into his arms and never let go.
Never.
We stepped into the hallway and I locked
the door. I didn’t want us to separate just yet. No. I had to stay with Mason a
bit longer.
“You know, it’s early. I’m not doing
anything except sitting around my dad’s condo feeling anxious, and since you’re
off duty right now…how about lunch?”
That sexy, crooked grin crossed his
lips. “Okay,” he said.
“And,” I added as we started for the
stairs. “No talking about my mess. I’d like to get this whole thing off my
brain for at least an hour.”
“Sure,” he agreed, then he asked in a
cunning tone, “So is this a date, Bristol?”
I laughed. “Just friends having lunch.”
Mason chuckled. “Friends, huh?”
“Yes.”
He allowed me to trek in front of him
down the stairs. Reaching the exit, we continued to the parking lot. I dropped
the water bottles on the backseat of my car.
“There’s a place close by,” I said,
indicating we should leave our cars behind.
Mason agreed, and then gestured for me
to lead the way. We walked for a few minutes until we reached the seaside
restaurant. The place wasn’t too crowded. We sat at the circular,
rustic-looking bar, and after putting in our orders and receiving our drinks,
we started to talk again. I told him a bit about me, including why I’d chosen
to live in Newport.
“So you wanted to escape the tight hold
of your mom,” he concluded.
I tittered. “Something like that. I
wanted to live my life without her constantly trying to control it. I mean,
Newport isn’t too far from Middletown, but I needed to put a little distance
between us.”
“I know what you mean,” he said. “My
dad’s like a dictator. He made all the decisions for me and Ariel. We were too
scared to go against him, but the older I got, the more I fought to make him
hear me.”
I listened without interrupting him. It
seemed like Mason wanted to get some things off his chest, and I was pleased
that he was sharing them with me.
He glanced at his drink as he continued
talking. “When I told my dad that I wanted to join the force, he wasn’t
supportive. He came up with all the reasons in the world for me to attend
college instead and become a businessman like him. He and my mom thought it had
to do with Ariel, which was partly true. I also wanted to help others and felt
that being a cop was one way to start.”
“What’s your other way?” I asked,
impressed.
Mason refocused on me, pride etched on
his face. “Well, I’d like to be a mentor, help kids in our community.”
Humph. This guy was amazing. “Nice. Good
for you,” I said, trying not to show how mesmerized I was by him. “Actually, I
volunteer at the center downtown once a week when I can.”
He grinned broadly. “That’s cool. I like
that.”
“Yeah but it’s nothing compared to what
you do for our community. Trust me, you give back enough by being a police
officer.”
He grazed my fingers, the tender touch
making me shiver.
“Thank you,” he said softly. “You’re
making a difference too by volunteering.”
A contagious grin split his lips,
causing goose bumps to break out across my skin. I wondered if this man knew what
he was doing to me.
Heat seared through my cheeks, and I
glanced at my drink to try and hide it. Feeling naked and vulnerable
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