One he couldn’t hide from me.
The cat in question immediately wrapped himself around my feet, purring loudly.
“What are you? The cat whisperer?” Mason laughed. “That jerk doesn’t like anyone.”
I leaned down on my haunches and scratched the very sweet cat behind the ear. He leaned his furry head into my hand, butting my palm with his cold, wet nose.
“I don’t know, he seems pretty friendly to me.”
“That’s Tigger. He’ll lull you into an easy confidence. Make you think he’s not completely evil. But watch this.” Mason leaned down and attempted to stroke the cat’s back.
The cat morphed from sweet, lovable kitty to demon spawn instantly. He swiped at Mason’s hand, hissing and baring his teeth before running into another room.
“Wow, you sure do have a way with animals,” I teased, getting back to my feet.
I was feeling awkward. The heat between us had cooled a bit on the fifteen-minute ride to Mason’s apartment. I was now wishing I had waited. Put this off a little while longer. Until he liked me a little bit more.
“Yeah, well, he’s a special case.” Mason took off his coat and hung it up. “You can take your coat off, Hannah.” His eyes twinkled and I let out a shaky laugh, sliding my coat off and handing it to him.
“Should I take my shoes off?” I asked lamely.
Mason gave me a funny look. “If that would make you more comfortable.”
I kicked off my heels, which were like a modern-day torture device, and walked into his living room. It wasn’t a very big apartment. And it was messy. Very bachelor pad. It wasn’t really dirty, just cluttered.
As if reading my mind, Mason gathered a couple of shirts thrown over the back of the couch and balled them up. “Sorry it’s not cleaner. I wasn’t really expecting…I mean, I would have tidied up if I had known—”
“If you had known how easy it would be to get me to go home with you?” I joked. Badly. I winced. Mason cringed.
Damn it. I was playing this all wrong.
I knew better.
Mason gently wrapped his hands around my upper arms, his thumbs rubbing up and down in a way that he meant to be soothing but that served only to jangle my already frayed nerves. “That’s not what I’m expecting having you here, Hannah. I would never expect that.”
I closed my eyes briefly. Silently berating myself for being my usual abrasive self. I was working hard to suppress my less-than-appealing side for Mason.
This was what hormones did.
They made me an idiot.
“I know. I was being silly.” I had to rectify this situation quickly. All the hot, searing lust I had seen in his eyes had melted away, and now he was looking at me like a man who had to tread carefully.
I needed him out of control.
I wanted him off balance.
For me.
I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed his chin. Lightly. Running the length of my tongue along the curve of his jaw.
“I think we should stop talking, don’t you?” I pressed my breasts against him, stomping all over the butterflies running rampant in my stomach.
I had to be sure.
Confident.
I could feel his excitement. He liked me against him. I was glad. So glad. He had no idea how much.
