Before she could finish her thought, Mason reached down and placed his hands on her cheeks. The move surprised her into silence. Tilting her head back as he leaned over her, Mason pressed his lips to hers. Tess gasped and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue inside her mouth, kissing her with all the passion he felt since they first met but had kept trapped inside for fear of scaring her off too soon.
She didn’t struggle. If she had, he would’ve immediately backed off. But neither did she kiss him back. He nipped at her bottom lip, desperately trying to get her to respond. After a moment that seemed like forever, he felt the hesitance of her response. She was nowhere near as enthusiastic as he was. Mason didn’t care. Tess was melting into his caress at last.
He’d won. The deputy, not the meddling doctor. After fighting it these last few days, she was finally admitting that she felt the same pull toward him that he'd recognized that first night in Thirsty’s.
Kismet. Fate. She was meant to find her way to Hamlet, this outsider with the golden eyes and a lonely heart. Sullivan hadn't deserved her and now that he was gone, Mason wasn't going to let this chance slip away from him. Tess was his.
At least, that’s what he thought. When Tess wiggled up against the back of the porch swing, he followed her until he was kneeling beside her again. Mason wanted to hold onto her forever, until he could be sure he had her heart and everything that went with it, but he knew that wasn’t possible. Not yet. Didn't stop him from trying, though. Only when he felt her palms push frantically against his chest did he finally let her go.
Her pale cheeks turned crimson, burning up with color. Scrambling out of the porch swing, she moved until she was a few feet away from him. “I shouldn’t have—”
“Yes,” he said. His voice husky, his gaze narrowed on her shiny, plump lips. He did that to her. He’d give everything he had to do it again. “You don’t have to fight it, Tess. Your husband’s gone now. I’m here for you. You can give in.”
She ran her pointer finger along the edge of her bottom lip. “It’s not that easy.”
It could be, Mason thought.
“You don't believe me. I know it's crazy when we only just met, but I've always thought I would know when I found the one I wanted to be with.”
“You
can't mean—”
“It's you. I know it is. Don't you feel it too?”
She couldn't answer him. Regardless of what she did or did not feel, everything was happening too fast. A week ago, she was getting ready to go on a second honeymoon with her husband. Mason was right about one thing. Jack was gone. But Tess wasn't looking for a replacement. She was just looking for a way to get back to her normal life.
“You want me to prove myself,” he announced after a moment’s silence.
“What? Mason, no.”
He continued as if she hadn’t said a word. “I can do that. I’ll show you that I mean what I say. You think the sheriff is going to pin your husband’s murder on you?”
“She’s just doing her job,” Tess said. She grabbed his sleeve, trying to force him into listening to her. “I’m being oversensitive. Come on. Forget it. Let’s go get dinner.”
“You won’t enjoy yourself. You’re such a good girl—Sheriff’s got no reason to think you could be behind any of this. I’ve told her a hundred times this last week. She's as stubborn as an ass. I’ll have to try again.”
Tess gave another fruitless tug. “You don’t have to do that, Mason.”
His touch was careful, like she was made from spun glass. He definitely hadn’t forgotten yesterday’s angry grab.
Slowly, easy, he loosened her fingers from the holes she was worrying into the sleeve of his sweater. “I do. This is something I can do for you. Let me take care of it, Tess. As God as my witness, I’ll do whatever I have to do to make her see the truth. And maybe then you’ll see me.”
“Stay,” she begged. “I don't want anything to happ—”
“It won't. Trust me. The sheriff will listen. I'll take care of everything. When I'm done, I'll come back for you.”
She stood there, stunned, as he ducked his head, managing to steal her lips one more time before he pulled her to his chest and embraced her tightly. It only lasted the length of a heartbeat and then he let her go. She caught the lines bracketing his mouth, determination etched in every furrow, as his eyes bored down on her, like he was memorizing every single freckle and beauty mark she had.
And then he was gone.
Tess chased after his cruiser. She didn’t know why. It was a gut reaction. Something told her it was a really bad idea to let Mason confront his boss after she accidentally riled him up.
But Mason, it seemed, had a lead foot. He was already turning the corner by the time she reached the first street lamp, hobbled by her heels. She grabbed the lamp post, hunched over as she struggled to catch her breath. No way she was going to stop him if he was in his cruiser and she only had her feet.
God damn it, why didn't she have her car back yet?
It would be pointless to keep running after him. She kicked off her heels, stopping only to swoop them up again before racing back to Ophelia. Her head thudding in time to the thumps of her bare feet against the porch steps, she tore into the foyer and ran right to her room.