Price of a Kiss (Forbidden Men 1)

What if it was Jeremy? What if he’d already found me?

Shit, had I remembered to lock the door after I’d gotten back from my latte run? I’d been so preoccupied and eager to see if Mason was still here, I’d totally forgotten about the added threat of danger.

The door handle turned, telling me I most definitely had not locked it.

I freaked and glanced around frantically for a weapon. Oh, God, if Jeremy found Mason here, he’d kill him.

Spotting my espresso I’d set on the coffee table, I snatched it up, ready to throw the hot, scalding brew in my psycho stalker ex-boyfriend’s face. But Eva began to jabber as soon as she barged her way inside.

“Reese! We need to talk. Like right now.”

I gaped at my cousin, alarmed by how close I’d come to burning her.

How could I have forgotten to lock my door?

She took in my frozen expression and sent me a funny look. “What?”

“I thought you were…I forgot to…”

Before I could spit out a comprehendible sentence, my bedroom door opened, and Mason emerged, still in the process of pulling his shirt on over his head. “I stole some of your ibuprofen,” he said as poked his head through the collar.

When he spotted both Eva and me ogling him, he stopped short. His gaze froze on my cousin before he turned to me with a slight, apologetic wince.

I cleared my throat. “Umm…that’s fine. I’m sure your hangover is”—I darted a quick glance toward Eva, who was narrowing her eyes threateningly—“killing you.”

He opened his mouth and looked like he wanted to say something important, but what came out was, “Do you know where my shoes are?”

I shook my head and sputtered my way into action. “Y-your shoes? Umm…yeah. I took them off of you after you passed out and left them by the foot of the couch.”

Setting my latte back down, I knelt onto my hands and knees to search underneath the furniture.

“Here they are.”

When I straightened, Mason had a particularly strained expression on his face. His smile was tight as he snagged them from my hand and rushed to shove his feet into them. “Thanks.” He pointedly ignored Eva as he focused on me. “I’ll see you at two, right?”

I wrinkled my brow. “Two?”

His eyes flared wide. “Sarah’s birthday party is today. You’re coming, aren’t you?”

“Oh, yeah!” I smacked my forehead. “I totally forgot. But, yes, I’ll be there. Definitely.”

He cringed. “You got her a present, didn’t you? She’s been wondering all week what kind of gift you got her. And you said you’d get—”

“Of course I got her something.” With a devilish grin, I set my hand on my hip. “And I hate to break it to you, pal, but my present is so going to spank your little present’s ass.”

For the first time since waking this morning, he gave me a genuine smile. “We’ll see about that.” His gaze cut to my cup sitting on the coffee table. “You said you got one of those for me, didn’t you? And mentioned food.”

I rolled my eyes. Didn’t matter how awkward or uncomfortable a situation was, I could always count on Mason to take my food. “Your latte’s sitting on my dresser in my bedroom. And doughnuts are on the table.”

Grin growing, his eyes warmed. “You’re the best.”

Disappearing too briefly for Eva to say anything to me except, “Oh, no you didn’t,” he returned, drinking heartily from his to-go container. After snagging a doughnut out of the baggie on the table, he stamped a brief kiss to my cheek. “Thanks. For everything.”

As my cheek tingled from where he’d pressed his lips, Mason turned toward the door but paused when Eva crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, refusing to move out of the exit.

Lifting one eyebrow, he rumbled out a gruff, “Excuse me.”

“Oh, that’s not going to happen. After what you did to my cousin—”