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“I don’t have my period.”
“Hmm…yeah, okay,” he said in a slow, sleepy voice.
Telling him the rest now was cheating. “It was a stupid test, to see if you’re only with me for sex. I lied, I wish I hadn’t.” No reply, just breathing. “Mason?”
He merely hummed in acknowledgement.
Crap, he hadn’t absorbed a word of it, meaning she’d have to admit the whole thing while they were both wide awake and face-to-face. She swallowed the lump in her throat and snuggled closer. His strong, easy heartbeat calmed her, made her feel secure—even if only for tonight.
Since he wasn’t registering anything she said, “I didn’t mean to fall so hard for you,” she whispered into his warm, firm chest. “Please, don’t be too mad at me.”
Chapter Ten
MASON
Mason winced as the drive-thru coffee burned his tongue. He’d rather be sitting in Andie’s kitchen with a mug of her instant, or better yet, propped up in bed, sipping while watching her sleep. But after her lie, or game, whatever it was—he needed space.
The only reason he hadn’t taken off after she fell asleep last night was her safety. He wouldn’t leave her alone and unconscious in an unlocked house. Now, at six-thirty in the morning, he was fine with it. Not really. But fuck it, he was still pissed off. He didn’t want to hear the daytime version of last night’s confession, not right now, and he really didn’t want to hear it while looking at her big, pleading eyes. So, yeah, he was gone. At least until he sorted through the crap from last night.
Hugo weaved around Mason’s legs when he walked through the front door, practically tripping him as he made his way to the kitchen. Mason tossed more kibble in the half-full bowl, but the disgruntled feline turned his nose up at the offering.
“Yeah, I know, buddy. I haven’t been around enough lately. That might be changing—effective immediately.”
He headed into the bathroom and cranked the taps in the shower, setting the water as hot as his skin would tolerate. Thick steam and soap scent surrounded him, cleaning his body but doing nothing to clear his mind.
He just didn’t get it. Testing him to see if he was using her for sex…what the hell was that about? He’d never treated her that way—the opposite, from where he was standing. He’d taken her to meet his family, for crissake, and it’d taken a hell of a lot of convincing to get her there. Not the kind of thing he’d do if he only wanted her for a booty call.
Yeah, they had a lot of sex. Fucking amazing sex that neither of them could get enough of. But he wanted more than that and he’d made that pretty damn clear.
First her insecurity about the age difference, now this. Having to constantly reassure her wasn’t his idea of quality time, especially whenhehadn’t given her any reason to worry. And having a girlfriend who lied to him…he wouldn’t go there again. If he couldn’t trust Andie, if she wasn’t capable of trusting him, he’d have to let go. No matter how much he liked her.
* * *
MASON
Too little sleep and too much bullshit made the doctor a grumpy jerk. After repeatedly barking at his assistant during morning surgeries, he holed up in his office. Clients wouldn’t be as forgiving. Canine, feline or human.
“Your sister’s on line one,” Cara’s voice informed him when he got tired of watching the light on his phone blink.
“Tell her I’m in surgery. Or an appointment. Whatever. I’m not available.”
“Is that how you’d like me to handleallof your personal calls?”
Nobody was around to see him roll his eyes, but he still did it. Could she get any more obvious? She’d been coming on stronger than ever since he’d started seeing Andie. It had gotten so bad—her copping a feel of his ass, or crotch, whenever he got within reach—he was actually considering suingherfor sexual harassment in the workplace.
“No, just this one.”
“I noticed you’re in a foul mood this morning. Have a fight with your girlfriend?”
“Everything’s fine.” And Cara would be the last one to hear otherwise. Ever.
“Your schedule is open for the next fifteen minutes—I could come back there and cheer you up. All the way up, if you know what I mean.”
Only an idiot wouldn’t know what she meant. “No thanks. Deal with the call on the other line, then go file something. And I don’t mean your nails.” He hung up immediately. A bit harsh maybe, but necessary.
And by the knocking on his door two minutes later, ineffective. “Cara, that’s it—you’re fired. I’ll pay your two weeks’ severance, but you can clear out now.”
“Did you just fire your moron receptionist through a door?” Katie asked as she peeked around it. “That’s awesome. And way too long coming. That girl is a bimbo and an airhead. She’s a bimhead.”
