Page 191 of Masters of Control

In some ways, he and Mason were more like brothers than he and Cyrus were. Mason was a little older than Asad, and they’d spent a lot of time together while Cyrus was in the hospital when Asad had been dumped on his aunt and uncle to take care of. They’d been rivals academically, although Mason had chosen to go into psychology and the army rather than taking the engineering route.

They even looked more alike than he and Cyrus did.

Which was why he wasn’t surprised to come back to his seat to find Mason flirting with Morgan. He was leaning over the empty space of Asad’s seat, holding Morgan’s fingers in his, talking earnestly about… something. Their other cousins were arguing over their golf game, ignoring Mason and Morgan completely.

“Hey, hands off my girl,” he said, reaching down to break their hands apart as he retook his seat.

“Maybe your girl likes my hands on her,” Mason retorted.

Morgan frowned, opened her mouth, then closed it again, looking conflicted. She met Asad’s gaze.

“I didn’t dislike them, but not in a sexual manner,” she said after a long moment, and Asad laughed, replacing Mason’s hand with his. He squeezed her fingers to reassure her.

“Don’t worry, Red, he’s just giving me shit. I know you were being a good girl.” Leaning over, he gave her a kiss on the temple, right next to her red hair. Morgan’s eyes widened in surprise, but she seemed pleased by the new nickname. It had jumped to his lips without thinking, but he felt it suited her.

When he turned back to Mason, his cousin was watching them with narrowed eyes. Asad pointed a threatening finger.

“Don’t you dare try to psychoanalyze us,” he said warningly. Beside him, Morgan shifted uncomfortably, so he gave her fingers another squeeze. “Did he tell you he’s a psychologist?”

“I’m not that kind of psychologist, and I’m not trying to analyze you,” Mason said, shaking his head.

Asad was pretty sure that was a lie. He didn’t think Mason could turn off the part of him that analyzed people. It was just in his general make-up and always had been. He’d been a quiet, competitive kid who liked to know what made other people tick.

Mason looked past Asad to Morgan. “I’m currently a profiler for a security company, Black Fox Elite.”

“You didn’t tell me your cousin works for Black Fox Elite!” Morgan leaned against Asad’s shoulder as she focused on Mason. “You must know Drew.”

“I didn’t know he did,” Asad answered before Mason could respond, frowning at his cousin. “I thought you were offered the job and turned it down.”

“I did, then I reconsidered after my last job didn’t work out.” Mason shrugged. “If you kept in better touch, you would know that.”

“Phone works two ways, asshole. We’re supposed to call each other for important life events.”

“Important life events like getting a serious girlfriend?” Mason raised his eyebrow, his focus narrowing on Asad as if he’d just caught him in a trap. Which he kind of had. The fucker had a point.

“Oh, we’re not that serious. I mean, we’re not not-serious, but we’re not like—” Morgan stumbled over her words.

Asad turned his head to catch her lips with a kiss to shut her up. She was adorable when she was stammering. Part of him wanted to know how she planned on digging herself out of that verbal hole, but he didn’t want to give Mason any clues that things weren’t as they appeared.

His cousin could probably be trusted, but one never knew. Especially since Mason’s mom would definitely tell Asad’s mom if she found out the relationship was fake. Mason could lie to everyone except his mom, who always saw through him. It was better to keep everyone in the dark for now. He’d confess to Mason after the wedding was over.

“It’s okay, baby, he’s just trying to figure out how serious we are. And you don’t need to worry about hurting my feelings.” He grinned at her, and she relaxed, relief clear in her eyes. Turning back to Mason he gave his cousin a look. “We’re serious enough that I figured I’d bring her to the wedding and get mom off my back, but neither of us are interested in marriage or anything like that, so you can stop the fishing expedition. Tell your mom we’re nowhere near getting engaged.”

Mason chuckled. “Well, it was worth a try. I was curious, too. It’s not like you’ve ever brought a girl home before.” Mason didn’t look entirely convinced, but he’d leave it alone for now.

“My little brother doesn’t get married every day. I notice you don’t have a date.”

“No, no dates for me. Drew is the only one on my team with a wife. Our jobs don’t lend themselves well to relationships. And I didn’t want to give my mom any ideas by bringing a casual date.” Mason frowned. “Don’t be surprised if your mom takes Morgan’s presence as an indication of something a lot more serious than you anticipated.”

“I know.” He turned to look at Morgan. “Ready to head back and relax before tomorrow?” Tomorrow was the Jahāz Barān, where he and his cousins would take the gifts from the bridal shower from Anna’s parents’ house over to Cyrus’ house, a combination of traditions that Asad thought went together beautifully. Everyone was happy with it.

“Ready.” She pushed her seat away from the table, getting to her feet.

“Have a good night, you two,” Mason smirked. Asad grinned, as if he was actually going back to the hotel to get laid. Fuck, he wished it were so. The smile faded from his lips as he turned away.

They said goodbye to Cyrus and his dad and headed out the door to the car. A small weight lifted from his shoulders. Another day’s activities done without any drama or issues. In fact, today had gone better than expected. Maybe because they’d had something to do other than sit and talk.

Activities to keep them busy were good. And more buffers. As obnoxious as Mason could be, hanging out with him or the other cousins was easier than with Asad’s immediate family. The rest of this week should go even more smoothly since Monday had been the only time his immediate family was gathering on their own.