Perfect Bastard (Mason Creek)

I’d see her again. After getting in the car, I turned on the light and held it up. It dangled a charm that read, “I’m enough.” It couldn’t be truer. I put it back in my pocket and turned the engine on my car. I really needed to switch vehicles. I’d heard something about snow, the kind that was more than the average for around here. Dad would likely prefer his truck over my car anyway.

The ranch was the same from the outside, but as I walked in, I noticed the difference this time. I’d stained the floor an ash-clay color. The wide planks looked as good as new. The furniture had come in, a big comfy couch and a modern recliner I hoped Dad would approve of.

I hung my jacket on the newel post at the bottom of the stairs and headed up. The crews were gone, only finishing work left. The house looked amazing. I was sure Mom would have loved it. Jean said I should have had a crew taping as we could have sold it to HGTV as a limited series.

That wasn’t my thing. My life was too much of an open book to the press as it was. This… home was mine and my family’s. So far, the press hadn’t shown up at my door, likely because the property wasn’t in my name.

When I reached the top, I glanced around, remembering Mitch and I as kids fighting over everything but making up games at other times. It had been a great childhood.

I stopped in the doorway of my room. Gone was the twin-sized bed and bookshelf full of trophies. The bed had been removed from the house. The trophies were packed up and in the attic.

In the place of my former twin-sized bed was a king that actually worked. The room was large and now held a door that went to my private bath. I wouldn’t have to share with my brother.

I discarded my clothes and headed for a shower. I needed to loosen up and work out the kinks in my muscles from lifting the kegs and all the work I’d put in at the house.

The water pressure was better than I remembered, and the temperature was just right. I’d added in a rainfall shower head and now I just stood under the spray, trying like hell not to remember how Avery felt in my arms. Or how our kiss had been like fire.

It ended up being a long night. After my shower, I was still too wired to sleep. By the time I crashed, it was in the early hours of the next morning.

A pounding on my door woke me up. The crews were working on the bunk house renovation this morning, as we were waiting for the tile grout to cure before finishing the other two bathrooms.

“Okay, already,” I said, wondering who the hell it could be.

I swung open the door to find a tiny demon woman ready to pound on the door again. She looked good, from her hair piled up on her head to the oversized sweater and the jeans that clung to her legs in all the best ways.

“Avery,” I said, not holding back a smirk as her eyes grew the size of quarters before narrowing.

“How did you find out? Never mind. Tugboat.” Was that the fanboy’s name? She waved a hand. “Just hand it over.”

“What?” I asked innocently as I caught her eyes drifting to my bare chest. I hadn’t had time to do anything more than pull on the jeans I’d worn last night that were tossed on the chair in my room.

“You know what. My bracelet,” she snapped.

“You mean the glass slipper you left behind as you fled to avoid turning into a pumpkin?”

Her glare could have cut daggers. “Stop with the metaphors and just hand it over.”

“Go out with me,” I said before thinking it through.

Her frown turned to amusement. “What? On a date?”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s you. The guy who objectifies women and treats them like disposable goods.”

I pursed my lips. “A second ago, you were objectifying me. And don’t deny it.” I let the door go and crossed my arms over my chest. “I saw you looking.” I glanced down before meeting her eyes again. “And besides, you believe everything you read in the headlines? What happened to being innocent before proven guilty?”

“You’re proving yourself guilty now. You stand there all smug and assume because you’re attractive, I’m going to fall all over myself to go out with you. Forget it. Never going to happen.”

“Then let’s just fuck and get it out of our system.”

She pointed at me. “See?”

“No. You have me all figured out and you’ve put me in whatever box you wanted. That doesn’t change this thing between us. You want me and I want you. We fuck and then we can walk away from each other.”