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My eyes rake over him, the same way he did to me. Jeans that aren’t too tight, but aren’t too loose fit over long legs. A black t-shirt shows off his trim waist, a black and gray flannel sits over it, opened with the sleeves rolled up exposing strong forearms with a tattoo I didn’t notice before. Just like everything else about him, it’s hot.
“Nice.” I run my hand over the ink. “Wouldn’t have taken you for a guy with a tattoo. We didn’t even get that shirt off of you last time, so I have no idea what’s underneath.”
His eyes flare dark with the passion I glimpsed during our night together and during our time in my classroom. It can quickly become an obsession of mine, seeing that look in his eyes. The blatant want on his face. To have it all directed at me? It’s the stuff dreams are made of.
“I’d like to give you that opportunity as soon as possible.” His voice is dark as he steps back, allowing me to turn and shut my door.
“We’ll see.” I flash him a grin and a look over my shoulder as I check the lock.
His brown eyes are on my porch lights. “What’s wrong with that one?” he points to the one that’s been out since I moved into the place.
“Don’t know, I can’t reach it. I keep telling the landlord, but he has yet to fix it for me.” I shrug. “I’m pretty sure the bulb’s just blown. I’m too short to reach it though, and I’m afraid I’ll kill myself if I try to get a ladder. I hope this one doesn’t go too.”
“I’ll take care of it for you in the next few days.” He nods toward it. “It’s not a good idea for a woman living by herself to have lights out like that. It goes against everything I’ve learned as a law enforcement officer.”
Putting my hands on his chest, I lean up, giving him a chaste kiss. “I’m from Philly.” My voice is soft. “I know how to take care of myself.”
“I’ve been to war, and there are things that still give me pause. Safety of someone I’m interested in is one of those things. Just let me do it for you.” He lets his hand slide along my back to cup the curve of my ass.
There’s something arousing about a man who wants to take care of you, because he likes doing it, and truth be told I’ll gladly let him. “If you insist.”
“I do.” He drops a kiss on my lips and then taps my ass before turning me to his Jeep. “Let’s go, I’m starving.”
Walking together, he escorts me to the passenger side of the Jeep, opening the door, and easily helps me into the seat. When he shuts the door, I breathe a calming sigh. There is something inherently sexy about this man, something that tells me I’m way in over my head if he ever decides to completely turn on the charm for me.
The drive to El Chico isn’t long, but we keep up a steady stream of conversation as we go.
“How do you like being a member of the Moonshine Task Force? I didn’t know you were a member. I know Leigh and Violet, but it never came up.”
“Really?” He comes to a stop at the end of my street and motions for the person who stopped even with us to go. I try not to be mesmerized by the way his forearm flexes as he grips the steering wheel.
“Yeah, I tutored Leigh in a class she was having trouble with, and I teach night classes two nights a week. That’s how I met Violet,” I explain as we drive cautiously within the speed limit toward the restaurant. “Had I known they know you, I would have told them your name. Then I wouldn’t have made an idiot of myself thinking you had a young child.”
He chuckles. “I’m not real close with Ace, but if I had to say I have a best friend, it’s Havoc.”
“Leigh’s husband, right?” I don’t know their call signs off the top of my head.
“Right, they just had a baby, so I haven’t seen him outside of work in a few weeks. It’s actually why I decided to try the dating app.”
Now we’re getting somewhere. “This I’d love to hear. Why a man like you didn’t have a line of women at your door.”
Mason is quiet for a moment, and I think maybe I’ve overstepped when he shrugs and scratches the stubbly beard on his jaw. “I tried dating a few times when Caleb was younger, after I got back from my tour and honorably discharged. I really tried.” He leans forward, checking both ways before he turns the truck to the right, taking us into the downtown area of Laurel Springs. “But so many women wanted to be Caleb’s mom, they wanted to tell him what to do and pretend like they’d be around forever. After what happened with his mom, I couldn’t just keep inviting women into his life. Half of them never lasted after a handful of dates, if they even made it that far, and it just felt unfair.”
“Unfair to be living your life?”
“No, unfair to bring these women into Caleb’s life when I knew it wouldn’t last. Eventually, I gave up trying to date and settled for a few women who knew the score.”
“Booty calls?” I supply, not sure I want to know the answer. I don’t want to be categorized that way.
“We fulfilled needs that each other had.” He’s careful with his words. “Sometimes you just need a warm body beside you at night. Somedays you need someone to work off frustration with, and sometimes you just need that sexual release. If I hadn’t had these things in my life, I would have gone crazy, because of all the stress I was under.” He’s talking, and I don’t want to stop him. Even though this is our second official date, somehow I feel as if we’ve known each other our whole lives.
“Is that what I am?” I question quietly. “Someone who should know the score?”
Mason reaches over, entwining our fingers together, holding our palms in his lap as he continues to drive the streets of downtown. “No, you’re different. You’re the one I’m going to allow myself to truly be with. All those other women? They had no room in their lives for Caleb, because they didn’t know him, they didn’t want to get to know him. Even though he’s an adult now, he needs a feminine presence in his life, and the two of you know one another. For the first time in years I feel like I can try to be a normal guy, take a girl out for a date, have her spend the night, and not worry about her hating me when I explain why we can’t be together. Now, I can try to have a relationship.” He pulls up to a stop at El Chico. “That is, if you want to try and have one with me.”
I’ve listened to everything he’s said, and I’ve let it all sink in. If I decide to be with Mason, Caleb comes with him.
“You’re a package deal?” In my line of work, I see a lot of parents who don’t love their children or their role as a parent half as much as Mason seems to. If he isn’t the man I think he is, then I don’t want to put myself in a relationship with him. Mason, though, I’m learning never disappoints.
