Page 29 of Hidden Obsession

Chapter Thirteen

Mason saw Cleofuss around his apartment while she waited for her friends to arrive. When she’d asked him if she could have Caitlin, Emme, and Sydney around for the evening, she’d almost seemed shy, hesitant, which he’d found endearing. However, he was quick to reassure her that his apartment was hers, and she could have her friends over anytime she liked.

The way she smiled and kissed him warmed his heart, and he thought it was maybe another step in their journey together, and he liked it a lot. Cleo walked past him to check the food she had purchased on the way home when he caught her by the waist.

“Don’t! I’m not done yet, and the girls will be arriving any minute.”

Ignoring her, Mason closed his arms and took her mouth. She tasted like heaven. When she sighed, and her lips parted, he was unable to help himself and slid his tongue inside her waiting mouth. He was amazed to see how she responded, her hands sliding over his arms to hook around his shoulders. Her breasts pressed against his chest, igniting lust in his blood. He cupped her ass, ready to take her once more when an insistent knock at the door cut its way through the desire.

The sound made him growl in her mouth, and Cleo giggled. She stepped back, untangling herself from his hold, but not before giving him another peck on the cheek. “You made me forget where I was for a moment, Mason Bentley, and that’s dangerous.” She went to the door, and he disappeared into the bathroom for a minute, as he couldn’t greet them with an erection.

When he looked at his face in the mirror, Mason cursed at himself. He was acting like a damn teenager, and that was unlike him. Since he’d met Cleo, he’d had to deal with his swirling emotions and the constant need to be with her and protect her.

Kingsley had said he loved her. Was that it? He’d been so involved in his career and his investigations, he hadn’t thought much about settling down. He’d had women in his life, but none that provoked those feelings and certainly not to this level.

Feminine laughter seeped through the door, and he smiled, enjoying the sound of her pleasure in any form. Now relatively calm and presentable, he made his way out to greet the women.

They were by the counter where Cleo was pouring wine. Killian was already comfortably installed on a pile of blankets in the corner. Mason suspected that he would be cuddled a lot over the next few hours.

Sydney came to him to kiss his cheek. He liked her a lot and was happy she and Kingsley had found each other. She was courageous, fearless, and dedicated, despite all she had been through. A weaker person would have broken down never to rise again, but not Sydney.

“How is your wound?”

At the concern in her voice, he smiled to reassure her. “It’s scarring well. Some pull, but nothing that won’t disappear with time.”

Cleo frowned. “You never told me it was giving you problems.”

Mason winked at her. “Nothing dire. Another scar added to my count.”

Sydney turned somber. “One you wouldn’t have if not for me.”

Mason shook his head. “One I wouldn’t have survived without you, Syd.”

Her smiled returned. It was wrong to think Sydney was responsible for him being wounded on duty. It was the nature of the job. “Okay, so I’ll leave you ladies to whatever ceremony you’re about to undertake and be back later.”

Before he could move, Cleo grabbed his hand. “You’re leaving?”

It was said in a dismissive tone, but her energy and posture said something different. Ignoring the gentle teasing of the women present, Mason brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “King and Nick are checking the perimeter. Cain and James will relieve them later tonight. Caitlin and Emme will remain with you until I get back.”

“And where are you going?”

“Shane wants to talk to me. And I want to bounce some ideas around with him. Enjoy yourself, have fun, just don’t torch the apartment.”

Cleo rolled her eyes as Sydney, Emme, and Caitlin burst out laughing.

With a last wink at her, Mason closed the door behind him.

Night had descendedover the city as Mason stepped out of his apartment building. A warm wind blew, dispersing some of the humidity he disliked so much. Kingsley and Nicholas were nowhere to be seen, but he knew they kept as discreet and invisible as possible, ready for anything or anybody.

Shane was leaning against his car. He’d obviously driven Emme and Sydney to the girls’ night. Caitlin’s car was parked a couple of spots down the street. “I bet that that wine bottle was open before you even got out the door.”

Mason grinned. “Yeah. I’m glad they organized this. Cleo needs the distraction. She still feels responsible for what happened to Killian and bringing the threat to the Agency.”

Shane nodded. “I know. I talked to her earlier, but it’s difficult to convince her of the opposite. And speaking of Killian, I’ve got news on that front. I sent his blood sample to be analyzed, and he was poisoned with a derivative of a congestive heart medication. Quite easy to find if you know where to look, but the most interesting part is, it’s not a pill, but a spray. On humans, it’s sprayed in the mouth. We suspect that for Killian, it was sprayed on his fur, and then he licked it.”

Mason considered his boss’s words. “Someone sprayed it on him. Could that have been done by accident?”

Shane shook his head. “Not according to the concentration level found in his blood sample. And what’s even more problematic is that this product can remain active after being sprayed for quite some time. So it’s difficult to know the exact moment it happened.”