He winks and I snort to suppress a giggle. That’s exactly the type of thing I’d get a kick out of. “It sounds perfect.”
“Good.” He grins and I hate that it’s a little disarming, sending my pulse spiking out of control. I’m here for Jack. Mason said so himself. I’m on a mini vacation to catch up with a friend. Nothing more. Now isnotthe time for my heart to join the party. I’ve gone twenty-seven years without it. “Good,” he repeats, squeezing my waist before he jogs to Kai’s truck, opening my door.
I smile, swallowing the lump in my throat. Mason may be good, but I’m not certain I can say the same.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jenna
After a quick hello and an official introduction, Mason disappears, leaving me alone with Kai. I wait approximately three point five seconds before I pounce, needing details.
“So.” I spin to face him as soon as he starts driving, my brow raised in question. “This is strange, right?”
“What’s strange about it?”
“For one, Mason doesn’t strike me as the type to spend his day collecting toys for disadvantaged children, and two—”
“Wait.” Kai cuts me off, a lazy smile playing on his lips. “That’sexactlythe type of guy Mase is. Nothing strange about it.”
“Okay. Fair. I guess I don’t know him. At all.” A fire wells in my chest and I almost rub at the source.Why the hell am I goddamn jealous?I shouldn’t know him.We just met.
“I don’t think that’s true.” Kai interrupts my thoughts. “Some would say you know him more than most. At least intimately.” He bounces his eyebrows, and it takes me a second to understand his meaning, making my jaw drop.
“He told you? I got the impression he was a private man.”
“Oh, he is. I got him plastered. He spilled it all. Too much if I’m being honest.”
“Jesus.” I cringe. “Then I guess you heard how it ended?”
“Yep. And you’ll be pleased to know, I told him he was a fucking idiot. Jack’s a little shit. Mason’s been taking care of him for far too long. It’s time he put himself first.”
Tension wraps around my heart. IknewMason was looking after Jack, even when he refused to admit it. However, hearing it out loud hurts. “I agree that he needs to live a little, but it was just sex. Well, it would have been if Becca hadn’t called.”
“That’s right. He mentioned that.” Kai chuckles. “He said you stormed off when you saw the image on his screen.” His lips curl and I shake my head.
“Put that smirk away; I’m not jealous.”Of that anyway.
“Sure you’re not. He told you she was a friend, right? She saved that picture to remind him he needs to get laid. By someone that isn’t her. She claims he’s happier when he does, and she’s not entirely wrong.”
I hide a smile because that’s actually a little funny, but... “It doesn’t matter.”
Kai’s eyes flash my way as his laughter ripples through the air. “You two are a whole new level of stubborn. The spark between you was visible from here.”
“There’s no spark,” I scoff, but my creased brows give me away.
“Keep telling yourself that. You’re here, aren’t you?”
“I didn’t get a choice.”
Kai waves me off. “That’s…not what I meant. As you said yourself, Mason’s a private guy, and this event is something he holds close to his heart. It took years and a ton of physical threats before he finally let me be a part of it. Yet, here you are.”
“What? Why?”
“He’s going to punch me for saying this, but the gorgeous Harley that you undoubtedly frothed over is his dad’s. His dad was a part of a motorcycle club—not the dangerous kind you see in the movies, but he was an enthusiast. He was always riding when the boys were kids. The toy run was his thing. And while Mase hasn’t joined the club, he still continues the tradition. Jack’s supposed to be here too. Though as I’m sure you’ve figured out, Jack is Jack. He lives by his own rules.”
“Not a fan of Jack, huh?”
“Actually, I love him like a brother. Maybe that’s why he’s a pain in my ass.”
