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The shirt looks more like a sail on me, so I roll up the sleeves until my hands aren’t covered anymore and head out of the room. He’s probably working. I’m surprised he takes time to sleep. Somebody really should look after him. And I want to, strangely enough. I mean, he’s taken care of Jase and me. Who takes care of him?
I’m still pondering that when footsteps ring out down the hall. I’m not exactly unaware of how cute I probably look wearing nothing but his shirt, which I only buttoned halfway up my chest. I turn in that direction, ready to surprise him.
But I’m the one who ends up surprised when I find Mason isn’t alone. He’s walking alongside yet another big, well-built man. Not nearly as huge as Tank but nobody I’d want to get into a fight with.
Where does he find these guys? Does he hang around the gym and wait for them to show up?
Mason stops short, blinking rapidly, while the man with him offers a tiny smile. I’m not smiling. I’m sizzling with humiliation as I grab the open part of the shirt and clutch it tightly closed. “I didn’t know anybody else was here. I’m sorry.”
Mason’s voice is a little strained when he gestures toward me with one hand. “Dallas, this is Teagan.”
I wish I could go back in time and stay in bed. “Did you ever have one of those dreams where you show up to school with only half your clothes on?”
Dallas—older, with a gray hair and fine lines that show up around his eyes when he smiles—laughs gently. “Now that you mention it, I have. Terrible dreams, aren’t they?”
“Especially when you find out it’s not a dream.”
“Not to worry. I was on my way out, anyway.” His lips twitch like he’s trying to hold back a smile before he heads for the front door, followed by Mason. They murmur their goodbyes before Dallas leaves, and Mason closes the door behind him.
I can hardly wait until it clicks shut before everything pours out. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even know you were still in the apartment, much less—”
Mason holds up a hand and shakes his head. “It’s all right. You’re not in any trouble or anything.” His gaze rakes over my body, and his nostrils flare as he takes a deep breath. “I would never scold you for looking like that.”
I’ve barely recovered from the full-body tingle of his approval before he heads for the kitchen. “You hungry?”
“Starved.”
“Since our pancake breakfast was cut short, let me make it up to you.”
It wasn’t his fault that the meal ended prematurely, but considering he’s pulling a griddle pan from beneath the granite counter, I’m not going to correct him. Not when it will be much more fun to watch him cook. Nothing is sexier than a man who knows his way around the kitchen. I will die on this hill.
First, though, he prepares a pot of coffee. “I hope you don’t mind plain caffeine. I enjoy espresso drinks, but it’s too fussy to make them every day.”
“I don’t mind.” Really, I just like being with him. I’m not brave enough to say that, though, so I settle for perching on a stool at the island and watching him get things together. “Can I help?”
“No, I’ve got it under control.” And he does. He moves around the sparkling kitchen with more grace and fluidity than I would’ve expected. He’s not fumbling around, muttering to himself, wondering where the ingredients are. He knows what he’s doing, and in no time, he’s mixed a batter, which he begins spooning onto a sizzling skillet.
“Can I ask you something?”
His shoulders hunch a little. I can’t see his face, but that alone tells me he’s on guard. “You’re pretty good at asking questions.”
“Okay. Let me rephrase. If I ask a question, will you answer?”
“Depends on the question.”
This guy. Always has to make things more difficult. “Well, I’ve been wondering ever since I first came here what this place is all about.”
He pauses in the act of flipping a pancake. “I know. And you’ve pestered me about it.”
Pestered? I’ll let that pass. “I’m curious, that’s all. Can you blame me? This is unlike any hotel I’ve ever seen.”
“You stay in a lot of hotels?”
“Stop avoiding the question, please. What’s it really about? I know this isn’t a normal place.”
His shoulders rise and fall in a deep breath before he looks at me over his shoulder. He doesn’t seem too irritated, so I’ll take it as a good sign. “What if you end up finding out something you can’t unlearn, and it gets you in trouble?”
“Gee. I have no idea what it’s like to be in trouble.”
