The Price of Mason (Forbidden Men 10)

Ignoring him, I sent Luke my crazy-eyed glare, my eyes threatening all sorts of bodily harm if he didn’t comply.

“Okay, okay,” he muttered, hopping off the picnic table. “Jesus. I’ll be right back.” Then he pointed at his brother and snickered. “Try to keep it in your pants while I’m gone, bro, or Ten will kill me for leaving you two alone.” Then he wandered off, laughing over his own lame joke.

Glad I finally had a moment alone with JB, I glanced his way, but he was studiously attempting to ignore me. So I went over and sat next to him on the tree stump, trying to force his attention.

Why I wanted to force it, I have no idea. But after what had just happened between us in that tent, I needed him to look at me. I needed to know...fuck, I needed to know what this meant between us now.

He glanced at me, scowling. But as soon as his gaze met mine, air hissed from between his teeth, and his eyes filled with something hot and seeking, something I felt deep in my womb. It was more intense than sex—or at least any sex I’d ever had—and a shudder of attraction consumed me. Oh, God, what did this mean?

“We should probably clean those scratches,” I said quietly.

JB glanced away. “I’m fine.”

Wow, was the guy stuck on repeat? All his self-denial made me want to pick and dig at him until he had to say something other than I’m fine.

But then, I was also kind of afraid to listen to him go off and tell me how he really felt if I did break him open enough to get him to reveal his true thoughts. I’m not so certain I could handle hearing him admit he was still heartbroken over and longing for Sonya. I’d felt all weird and unexplainably lonely since those two had gotten engaged. Then things had felt even weirder inside me when their engagement had dissolved. I wasn’t sure what that meant either.

So I settled for rolling my eyes and muttering, “Clearly, you’re not. But whatever.”

He said nothing. So I said nothing.

I scooted closer, trying to soak up any stray body heat he might be dispelling. Plus, I just liked being close to him. JB had always made me feel…safe. He’d forever been the one I’d run to when I was distressed. He just knew how to help me look at my problems so they didn’t seem so insurmountable. And for some reason, something inside me was beginning to feel big and complicated, and so naturally, I shifted closer until my thigh was pressed right up against his.

He glanced at me sharply but didn’t pull away, so I took that as a good enough sign.

“You know,” I started. “If you’re pissed at me, you can just say so.”

“I’m pissed at you,” he said, and it was obvious he meant it.

“What?” I cried, gaping at him. “Why? What did I do wrong?”

He sent me an incredulous glance. “Are you kidding me right now? Your dad tried to kill me a few minutes ago because of what you did.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, whatever. He ended up getting more hurt than you did.”

He sniffed and glanced away, only to spin back and scowl. “Are you ever going to tell me what experiment you were conducting since it ended up with your dad shaking me out of a fucking tree?”

I opened my mouth, but no words came. JB watched me so closely my cheeks began to burn, because my idea that had felt like a damn good one when I’d crawled into that tent suddenly seemed really stupid.

Out of nowhere, one half of a sleeping bag dropped onto my shoulders, the other half draping over JB’s. Not expecting it, I yelped and looked up to find Luke there, scowling at us.

“There,” he said. “I did my duty. Now I’m going to bed.”

“Hey,” I muttered, suddenly afraid to be left alone with JB, because he’d probably make me confess some really embarrassing shit. “What about guarding us, and defending my honor, and all that?”

Luke merely waved over his shoulder. “I did my duty,” he repeated. “And you guys are being boring again, so… I’m out. Take his virginity if you want, T. It’s fine by me. Maybe it’ll even pull that stick out of his ass.”

Once he was gone, JB mumbled, “I do not have a stick stuck up my ass.” Glancing at me, worry lined his gaze even as he asked, “Am I seriously that uptight?”

I cracked a grin. “Really? That was the part you took umbrage at? You don’t care that he just called you a virgin?”

JB shrugged. “Maybe I am a virgin.” Then his lips twitched with amusement.

I snorted. “You’re such a dork.” I began to pull my half of the sleeping bag off me so he could have it all, but he wrapped a hand around my upper leg, stopping me dead in my tracks when his warm fingers brushed over the inside of my thigh.

“You’re cold too,” he said quietly.

My breath caught in my chest, but I tried not to let that show. Nodding, I snuggled back into his warmth, shifting even closer to him as I did so. We sat flush against each other, hip to hip. And he never moved his hand off my leg, the impression of his fingers beginning to burn into my flesh with a pleasant heat as his thumb started to move in slow, intoxicating circles.