The Price of Mason (Forbidden Men 10)

I showed no mercy, driving her hard and then teasing her soft. The juxtaposition of fast followed by slow, rough then gentle drove her crazy.

“Oh…my…God…”

“Thirty-nine seconds!” I cheered as soon as she was finished coming.

She rolled her face my way to scowl but didn’t yet have the capability to reply.

Feeling as if I’d done my job well, I grinned and leaned in to kiss her sweat-dampened brow. “Don’t move.”

I rushed from the apartment, hurrying so I could already return to her. It wasn’t until I’d slid behind the wheel of my Jeep, however, and started the engine, then glanced up at her door that I remembered reality. Patricia’s threats. Reese’s psycho ex. The fact that Reese still thought I’d slept with another woman a day and a half ago.

I panicked for a couple moments, worried about leaving her alone, trying to remember if I’d locked the door behind me. I had… I think. God, I hoped so.

Unable to help myself, I hopped out of the idling Jeep and dashed up the steps to her door, just to be sure.

Yep, locked.

It still took me another few seconds to leave, though. I didn’t want to scare her and tell her the truth but I also wanted her to be vigilant. Deciding to just hurry and get my trip over with as quickly as possible, I rushed to the nearest convenience store and damn-near sprinted down the aisles on the search for condoms. They only sold mini packs, so I grabbed three.

When I started toward the checkout counter, a mother with two boys and a little girl was there, buying candy bars. I faltered, feeling weird about standing behind kids in line with nothing but condoms on me, so I snagged a big pack of gum I was passing and piled it on top to mask what else I was holding.

The cashier took forever doling out change. I tapped my pile of gum and condoms against my thigh impatiently and glanced out the window to check on my Jeep. No idea why I did that, but I blinked when I found some random guy, about my age, standing next to it, peering in through the driver’s side window.

Wondering if he was trying to rob me, I kept an eye on him as the family in front of me finished their transaction and started for the door. I stepped forward, not even saying hi to the cashier as I tossed my shit on the counter and then reached for my back pocket to pay. The snoop must’ve decided I didn’t have anything valuable enough to steal, because he backed away from my Jeep and glanced toward the front windows of the store, only to pause when he made eye contact with me.

I narrowed my gaze, feeling specifically singled out by him. He was a total stranger to me with smoothed-back super-blond hair that almost looked white out in the sunlight. For some reason, it reminded me of Draco Malfoy’s hair from Harry Potter.

“That’ll be nineteen fifty-three, sir,” the cashier said, jostling me from my stare.

Pulling a twenty from my wallet, I tossed it onto the counter and grabbed my things. “Keep the change.” Starting outside, I watched the Malfoy wannabe turn away and walk off.

What the hell?

That was just plain weird. I watched him disappear around the other side of the building and shook my head. I would’ve called Reese then, just to check on her, but when I went to reach for my phone, that’s when I realized I’d forgotten it at her apartment.

“Shit.”

I would’ve driven straight back to her, but then she would wonder why I hadn’t gotten our lattes. So, I once again rushed as I made my way to the coffee shop next. The drive-through line was insane. I figured it’d be faster to park and go inside, and I was right.

I’d just gotten Reese’s white chocolate mocha and my triple mocha Frappuccino and was turning toward the exit when I saw him again. He sat at a small table just inside the entrance, with a ball cap on this time, but the douche wasn’t fooling anyone. He was wearing the same damn T-shirt and jeans he’d had on at the convenience store when he’d been sniffing around my J

eep.

Why was he following me? I was certain I’d never seen him before. Was he another Ethan Riker whose mom had been one of my clients?

He had a very distinctive, narrow face with an overly pointed chin. When I passed, he glanced up slightly.

I nodded, and said, “Hey, man,” so he’d be certain I knew he was there.

Saying nothing in return, he just dropped his gaze to the cups I held and narrowed his eyes.

Once I returned to my Jeep, I glanced around the interior to make sure nothing was disturbed. Everything looked the same as ever, so I shrugged, deciding I was being paranoid. It wasn’t until I was fitting the lattes down into the cup holders that I realized he’d looked upset to see I had two drinks, and one of them had Reese’s name on the cup. My gaze shot to the coffee shop.

“Son of a bitch.”

I pushed out of the Jeep and hurried back to the shop, but once I yanked the door open, Malfoy was gone.

I spun in a circle, trying to find him, but he’d completely disappeared. Blowing out a rattled breath, I ran a hand through my hair and returned to the Jeep. I was just being paranoid, I repeated to myself. It hadn’t been Reese’s ex stalking me. He’d just been a random weirdo who’d followed me from one place to the next.