The Price of Mason (Forbidden Men 10)

Suddenly, she straightened her shoulders and set her hands on her hips before scowling. “What the hell are you doing, taking a shower with the door wide open while I’m babysitting?”

I don’t know why that irritated me. I should’ve just fucking apologized. But I was in a crappy mood so I spit back, “I didn’t know you were here. And the latch doesn’t work. I shut it as best as I could, but it still floats open when the exhaust fan is on.”

Her shoulders instantly fell and the defiant narrowing of her eyes softened, making my crappy mood worsen and the guilt thicken.

I cleared my throat, disgusted with myself. “Isn’t my mom home yet?”

She sniffed and rolled her eyes. “Apparently not.” She motioned behind her. “I fell asleep on the couch after putting Sarah to bed, and no one woke me. Wouldn’t she have woken me if she’d come home?”

Dammit. Mom better be behaving. “She must be working overtime for someone, then.” Closing my eyes, I hissed a curse in my head, realizing my first thought was not for her safety but to worry that she was getting into something she shouldn’t be. I ran a hand through my hair. “Well, I didn’t know you were here, okay.” God, I sounded like a douche. Why couldn’t I stop sounding like a douche?

“And I didn’t know you were here either,” she snipped back. “You scared the crap out of me. When I woke up and heard something back here, I thought a burglar had broken in.”

I lifted my eyebrows. “You thought someone broke in…to use the shower?”

Huffing out a sound, she scowled at me. “I didn’t hear the water running. Jeez. I only heard doors, or drawers, or something opening and shutting. I didn’t know what was going on.” She moved her hands again, bringing my attention back to the doll she was holding.

Realizing she hadn’t been holding it like a comfort blanket but more like someone about to swing a baseball bat, I bit the inside of my lip to hide my amusement.

“Well, swell,” I said, nodding. “I suppose I should feel so much better now, knowing Sarah is safe in your hands. If someone breaks in, you can just wield your doll there and play tea party with them to death.”

She gasped in outrage. “Hey! I’ll have you know the plastic head on this doll is pretty hard. Trust me. Your sister caught me in the noggin with it earlier.” Wincing, she rubbed her head.

Remembering she’d been babysitting my sister all night and this had been her first encounter with anyone with CP, and also remembering how freaked out she’d looked when I’d left the house earlier, I stepped forward, worry lacing my veins. “She hit you?”

That didn’t sound like Sarah. My sister would never intentionally hurt someone. A person would really have to be going after her for her to even try to defend herself.

But Reese shook her head. “Oh, not on purpose, no. It’s nothing. No big whoop. We were having a good time. She was excited. Arms started flailing a little too wildly. I mean, how could they not when I’d been wailing, ‘Give me back my golden arm’? But it’s all good. Don’t worry about it.”

I blinked at her.

Because had she just said she and Sarah had had a good time? After seeing her expression when I’d left earlier in the evening, I never in a million years would’ve thought she’d ever say, We were having a good time.

The glowing girl who’d put hope in my heart had given my sister a good time?

Oh, Jesus. An ache bloomed in my chest. My throat went dry. My eyes started to fucking burn. But if she’d really showed Sarah a good time, this innocent blue-eyed girl would be my new hero.

I stared at her, and suddenly, all I could think was I fucked you tonight. While my eyes were closed and I was inside another woman, I imagined it was you, and it was the best sex of my life.

My next thought was: God, she’s so young.

It didn’t matter that we were basically the same age.

She just seemed so innocent and untouched by the evils of the world.

And suddenly I understood why my clients always said that about me. Reese possessed this aura around her, this glow. To me, it was fresh and pure and beautiful. I wanted to experience it with her. So maybe to all those calculating, deceitful cougars who employed me, I seemed pure and fresh and appealing.

Realizing I was just staring at her, I shook my head, forcing myself back to the present. “I guess I should pay you. My mom said eight dollars an hour, right?”

Twisting around, I bent to fetch my pants so I could search my pockets for money. It felt weird giving her the very money I’d gotten while pretending I’d been with her, but then again, it only seemed fair too. I’d earned it because of her.

“Umm…” she said. “D-don’t worry about it. I’ll just square it up with Dawn later.”

I glanced at her just as I got a handful of the cash and pulled it free. “Trust me,” I said, showing her the money. “You’re going to get paid from these exact bills right here. Does it really matter whether I give them to you now or if I pass them along to my mother, who probably won’t remember to give them to you until next week…if not later?”

Her face went a little green and her throat worked as she swallowed. There was no doubt in my mind she knew exactly how I had procured the money. Shame blanketed me; I damn near tucked the wad behind my back out of sight.

But then I thought, fuck it. I needed to stop thinking so highly of this girl. I didn’t know her. She didn’t know me. And the quickest way to scare her off would be to go ahead and let her see what I really was. As soon as her face filled with horror and disgust, boom, I’d get disappointed and lose my little fascination, and whatever it was I was feeling for her would finally vanish. Problem solved.