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Everything was done. Appointments, paperwork, tending to boarders and overnight patients. Mason’s mind had been on Andie through it all. Okay, maybe not while his finger was up Trixie’s butt, expressing her anal glands. Other than that, pretty much constantly. He still didn’t know what went wrong.
One of her last comments stuck in his head, though, crystal clear. She’d gotten what she wanted from their date. He’d shielded her from his loudmouth teammates only to have that jerk, Evan, be right about her all along. A cougar on the prowl, simple as that. He hated the term, hated himself for thinking it. Especially about Andie, who really didn’t strike him as the casual hook-up type. Maybe that was wishful thinking on his part. Wouldn’t be the first time he’d been wrong about a woman. This time he wouldn’t get burned.
Hugo met him at the door of his small, wartime bungalow. The cat had his rumble cranked to maximum, out of loneliness more than hunger, since his bowl hadn’t been touched. Looked like Mason had two choices—bring home a friend for his friend, or let Hugo live at the clinic. Yeah, well, no mystery how that one would play out. Some guys enjoyed solitude, to the point of avoiding all commitments like the plague. He wasn’t built that way.
Tonight he’d be surrounded by commitments. Katie and Logan’s engagement dinner—attendance mandatory. His sister had a celebration planned, meaning food, drinks and hugs aplenty. There might even be speeches. God help him if anybody started crying.
Yeah, he had a rep for being a sensitive male, but tears… He was still a guy, for fuck’s sake. Seeing women’s faces go blotchy and their noses turn bright red made his cock shrink up like a scared turtle. It was worse than a cold swim.
* * *
MASON
He strolled in for the six o’clock reservation at ten past seven.
“Big brother, over here,” Katie called from a large table near the window. Her fiancé, Logan, sat next to her, one arm draped over her shoulders. Lucky bastard glowed almost as much as his baby sister. Both sets of folks were at the table, plus the groom-to-be’s sisters and a few close friends. All couples, no singles. Another burn for him.
He scanned the table as he walked over. Some glasses, that’s it. Ah, hell. “You didn’t have to wait for me.” So much for dragging his feet getting here. They should have been into their main courses by now. He planted a kiss on Katie’s forehead, then one on his mother’s cheek. Shook hands with Logan. To everybody else, he nodded. Somebody’d saved a chair for him, directly across from the future Mr. and Mrs. Brenner. Awesome, he got to stare love in the face for the next hour or so.
He dropped into the seat and grabbed a menu. Anything to avoid being part of the wedding conversation. Fuck, when did he turn into a bitter asshole? His little sister deserved better.
Mason survived appetizers, dinner, dessert and engagement presents. Barely, and by the grace of a couple pints. Sports highlights on the TV over the bar didn’t hurt, either. The party ended by nine. As the last friends filtered out, Logan excused himself to hit the john, leaving Mason and Katie remaining at the table. And she had thelet’s talklook.
“You seemed off tonight. Bad day at the office?”
“Everything’s fine. Just keeping it toned down, that’s all. Tonight is about you guys.”
Katie laughed. “I’m going to assume that what you really mean is that you’re thrilled for me, and how lucky my fiancé is, etcetera.” She shook her head. “For such an incredibly smart guy, you can be really dumb with words.”
“Cut him some slack, Katie-Kat.” Logan returned, giving her an affectionate yet scolding look. “You know how guys are.”
“I sure do, baby.” Katie snuggled into Logan’s side, despite the fact that he was on a separate chair.
Didn’t matter that his little sister was twenty-six and soon to be married. When she and Logan looked at each other that way, Mason had to find somewhere else to focus his attention. Logan’s comment about the way guys are bounced around in Mason’s brain while he pretended to watch commercials on the overhead. He said the exact words to Andie last night, when he explained why they should avoid walking past the pub. She’d agreed. Or had she?
“Hey man, you have an admirer. End of the bar. Sat down a couple of minutes ago and hasn’t stopped looking at you.”
With Logan’s sense of humor, theadmirercould be anybody. Like a huge, hairy biker dude. Mason shrugged, but grabbed a quick look over his left shoulder. Andie, alone. That’d never do. Goodbye resolution to forget about her.
“Have a good night, you two.” He stood, shook Logan’s hand and kissed his sister’s. “And congratulations, kiddo. Logan’s a lucky man.”
Katie’s face lit up. “Much better. Now, who’s the woman that has you jumping out of your seat?”
“Somebody I met at a ball game. And I’m not jumping.”
Katie issued him the raised eyebrow of doubt. “Invite her to join us.”
So his well-meaning sister could cross-examine Andie? Yeah right. “You’ve got better things to do than sit here and make small talk with a stranger. Go home. Plan a wedding. Celebrate—but don’t tell me how.” Mason had known Logan since they were kids, and was well aware of Logan’s adult preference for kink. Hell, he used to envy the guy for some of the stuff he got up to. Thinking of his baby sister in those scenarios made puke rise in his throat. Hypocritical, but true.
He issued a final wave and turned toward the bar. If Andie had been watching him before, she certainly wasn’t now. More like the opposite. He’d bet his last dollar she was deliberatelynotlooking at him. No acknowledgement whatsoever when he slid onto the neighboring stool. Her phone must be pretty damn interesting, because her gaze was glued to the screen.
He caught the bartender’s eye and motioned at Andie’s drink. “And a Sleeman, in a bottle.” Mason pushed the full glass of red wine her way, finally winning her attention. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
Damn, that voice. Soft and feminine without being weak. She could read the back of a cereal box and he’d get hard. He should’ve called her today.
“I have a list. Very detailed.” He took a long draw from his beer, enjoying the pink sweeping her face. “But right now I meant it as thanks for improving my evening.”
